The Final Battles:An Awakening
by firewithinclover007
Summary: Just when the clans seem to be thriving, a cat with an inexplicable past appears in ThunderClan. As secrets are discovered and revealed in the most unexpected places, she pieces together the haunting truth of her past, and, in the process, unveils the turmloil that really exists in each of the clans, which may just be enough to destroy them all.
1. Allegiances

**Allegiances**

* * *

**ThunderClan **

Leader**: ****Firestar**-ginger tom

Deputy**: ****Brightmoon-**grey she-cat with white paws

Medicine Cat: **Mossfur-**pretty light brown tabby (apprentice: Whitepaw)

Warriors:**Oakleaf**-large grey tom with thick fur (apprentice: Icepaw)

** Patchpelt**-spotted black and white tom (apprentice: Fernpaw)

** Raincloud-**small golden tom with green eyes (apprentice: Robinpaw)

** Ashclaw-**thick-furred black tabby with white forepaws (apprentice: Whiskerpaw)

** Leapfoot-**white tom; got his name for climbing a tall tree as apprentice

**Pebbletoe**-black and grey young tom

** Lighteyes**-pale ginger tabby

**Mapledrop**-swift grey she-cat

** Foxfur**-large ginger tom with dark green eyes; oldest warrior

**Honeyfrost-**small pretty tabby with light brown fur

**Spottedstep-**beautiful white she-cat with brown spots

** Stripedfur**-striped grey tom with torn ear

Apprentices:**Whitepaw-**black short haired tom with white streak down his back

** Icepaw-**silver she-cat with blue eyes

** Fernpaw-**dark brown tabby

** Robinpaw-**white, orange, and black calico she-cat with blue eyes

** Whiskerpaw**-light grey tom

Queens:**Gingerpelt**-solid ginger tabby (Mate: Foxfur Kits: Dawnkit, Brightkit, and Redkit)

** Littleheart**-white short-haired tabby (Mate: Raincloud)

** Flowerfur**-beautiful silver tabby with light blue eyes (Mate: Leapfoot)

Elders: **Smallear**-thin, light black tom

** Reedwhisker-**dusk brown tabby with a white chest; losing sight in right eye

* * *

**ShadowClan**

Leader**: ****Pinestar**-large dark brown tom

Deputy**: ****Newheart-**massive grey tom with white paws

Medicine Cat: **Browntail-**small chestnut tom

Warriors:**Wetfur**- long-furred black tom (apprentice: Poppypaw)

** Whitefang**-dark grey tabby tom with large front teeth (apprentice: Pebblepaw)

** Shadyclaw-** golden tom (apprentice: Halfpaw)

** Longlegs-**light brown tom with long legs (apprentice: Crowpaw)

** Darkfoot-**Dark tom (apprentice Swiftpaw)

**Littlecloud-**solid grey tom with darker flecks

** Talonface**-pale ginger tabby

** Ashtail**-large ginger tom with dark green eyes; oldest ShadowClan warrior

** Spottedstep-**beautiful white she-cat with brown spots

** Silvercreek**-grey and silver tom

** Volefur**-grey tom with jet black paws

Apprentices: **Creekpaw- **light grey tabby

** Ivypaw-**white tabby with brown spots

** Moonpaw-**grey tom

** Birdpaw-**brown tom

Queens:**Woodpelt**-solid brown tabby (Mate: Ashtail Kits: Briarkit, Smokekit, and Sunkit)

** Goldenlight**-long-haired golden tabby (Mate: Wetfur Kits: Spiderkit and Yellowkit)

Elders: **Onefoot**-frail tom with a lame foot

* * *

**Riverclan**

Leader**: ****Greystar**-old grey tom

Deputy**: ****Quickfoot-**large dark tom

Medicine Cat: **Rippletail-**pretty silver tabby (apprentice: Fishpaw)

Warriors:** Waterpelt**- short-haired grey tom (apprentice: Lilypaw)

** Miststorm**-white she-cat with green eyes (apprentice: Flowerpaw)

** Breezetail-**brown and white she-cat (apprentice: Briarpaw)

** Stoneeyes-**grey and white tom (apprentice: Berrypaw)

** Webfoot-**large white tom

** Rockface**-dark grey tom with black legs

** Wetstripe-**beautiful blue-gray tabby

** Stripedfur**-striped grey tom with torn ear

Apprentices: **Fishpaw-**brown short haired she-cat with white feet

** Lilypaw-**silver tabby

** Flowerpaw-**grey tabby

** Briarpaw-**dark tom with white marks

** Berrypaw**-small black tom with green eyes

Queens: **Softstep**-pale ginger tabby (Kits: Stormkit and Rainkit)

** Streamsplash-**white and black tabby (Mate: Stoneeyes Kits: Littlekit and Bluekit)

Elders: **Strippedpelt**-large elderly tabby tom with battle scars on his back

** Scrawnytail**-frail black and white tabby

** Whiteeyes**-blind grey tabby

* * *

**Windclan**

Leader**: ****Steadystar**-dappled she-cat

Deputy**: ****Rushfoot-**swift light brown tom

Medicine Cat: **Rabbitpelt-**thick furred brown tom

Warriors:** Marshcloud**- short-haired white tom (apprentice: Emberpaw)

** Ashtail**-grey she-cat with blue eyes (apprentice: Thickpaw)

** Breezetail-**brown and white she-cat (apprentice: Reedpaw)

** Blackclaw-**large brown tom with large claws (apprentice: Leafpaw)

** Hazelbreeze-**pretty dappled tabby

** Echoheart**-small tom (apprentice: Grasspaw)

** Runningfog-**grey and white tom with long tail

** Mudface**-white tom with brown muzzle

** Featherlegs**-grey tabby with white legs

**Stoneeyes**-grey tom

Apprentices: **Emberpaw-**pretty ginger tabby

** Thickpaw-**dark brown tom

** Reedpaw-**grey tom

** Leafpaw-**light brown she-cat with green eyes

** Grasspaw**-small black and white tom

Queens: **Duskflower**- brown tabby (Mate: Mudface Kits: Mazekit, Brightkit, and Moonkit)

** Hollyshade-**dark brown tabby with white specks (Mate: Stoneeyes)

Elders: **Brokenfoot**-large tom; retired early due to leg injuries

** Whiskertail**-frail long-haired grey tabby

* * *

**Cats Outside the Clans**

**Alto-**solid black kittypet tom with white legs

**Scarlet-**long furred orange kittypet tabby (Mate: Achilles Kits: Tiger, Trouble, and Tumbles)

**Barney-**brown and white kittypet tom

**Achilles- **redish brown kittypet tom with a white hindleg

* * *

**If you have any ideas/suggestions for my stories plot, please tell me in a Private Message or Review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated**

-firewithinclover007


	2. Prolouge

**Warriors: An Awakening**

* * *

**Prologue **

The course gravel ached under her paws, but the lithe she-cat refused to slow her pace. It was dark. The only thing that guided her frantic paw steps was the thin ray of light that glowed from the crescent moon. Her pursuer was close behind, and as fatigue began to set in, the she-cat realized she had only one chance. Ahead she saw a bush directly in front of her path. Quickly the tabby formulated a plan and prepared herself for execution. She knew her time was up, but that didn't mean her kit would die too. Using her last bit of strength, she bounded ahead several fox lengths towards a thick bushel with her kit dangling perilously from her mouth. Concealed in the bush, she set her bundle down, allowed herself a moment to see her kit one last time, and shot out from the bush in the opposite direction. She ran as long as her legs would allow, effectively putting space between her beloved kit and the large cat who was following her.

_Thank Starclan; _she breathed a sigh of relief knowing the large cat didn't see her kit. Gradually, the energy in her body drained out, and the dark cat tabby tom caught up with her easily. He ran into her, knocking her down onto her side.

For a minute, the only sound that could be heard for miles was the heavy breathing of the she-cat as she caught her breath. The dark tabby circled her with his lips drawn back in a cruel snarl. His haunches weren't raised, obviously to show she was no threat to him. After the she-cat regained her breath, she tried to focus. She didn't dare get up, for any quick movements would surely result in her death. She flicked her eyes to his pelt. Dark fur sleek from sweat rippled on his muscled body as he paced around her confidently. It was true; she was no threat to him-and they both knew it. Still, she kept her talons unsheathed; there was no way she was going to go down without a fight.

"You smell like a kittypet. What's a soft bellied kitty like you doing in ShadowClan territory?" His vile tone clouded the air around her, almost making the tabby gag in disgust. Now that he was closer, she caught the scent of crowfood on him. _Crowfood? Has ShadowClan fallen on such hard times? _For a moment she pondered this mystery. Last she remembered, ShadowClan was thriving. They would never resort to eating rotting prey! But sure enough, this ShadowClan warrior reeked of the stench.

It was only when sharp talons sliced through her forepaw when she realized the warrior was expecting an answer to his question.

He growled, obviously growing impatient, "I asked you a question, Mousefodder, what's your right to be in my territory? Answer wisely, for your worthless life depends on it." Every passing second his claws carved farther and farther into her body.

The kittypet clamped her mouth to keep from yowling in pain. Instead she answered, "I meant no harm, and I didn't take anything from your forest. I have meal with my Twolegs, I only went for a walk. If you had any brains you could tell there's no trace of mouse, squirrel, or anything on me." Before he could react, she stood and took up a pouncing position, watching his every move intently. The warrior mimicked her, and for a few seconds the two cats stood there, silently size up their competition. Without warning, when he couldn't bear the tension any longer, the warrior sprang onto the intruder.

But the she-cat reacted just in time. In one fluid motion, she slid out of the way, also giving her a chance to attack. She leaped onto his unprotected back and gripped with unsheathed claws. Despite his large front legs and vicious claws, the experienced warrior was not able to defend himself. The kittypet raked her claws as hard as she could across his back, leaving prominent scars while gripping his neck with her teeth.

After a few futile attempts to shake his attacker off, the he-cat dropped down and rolled on his back so the she-cat was under him. Immediately the kittypet released her grip and struggled to free herself. But it was to no avail.

The warrior jumped off and held her down with his powerful paws. "You fight well for a kittypet, better than some of our full-fledged warriors. But not as well as me, and it was foolish for you to think you could beat me." The she-cat said nothing, but continued to try and break free. His claws tightened around her neck until she was gasping for breath.

"Wait! Please," the she-cat mewed, "Just let me go, and we won't return to these woods again..." His powerful paws cut her off, and immediately she knew she had said the wrong thing.

"We? Who else have you brought here?" He squeezed harder, forming a ring of blood around her neck.

"N-no one."

"Liar! Where is the flea-bag? If you tell me, I'll spare your life." His blood-thirsty eyes looked icier than ever, as his claws slowly drained her of her life.

The words flowed out immediately, "You will never find her. May StarClan light her path and darken the paths of those who are evil." As the great warrior tried to figure out how a puny kitty-pet knew of StarClan, a distant look came into the eyes of the she-cat, "She shall fly with the wind and unite the land with the sky." The black furred warrior started to growl, but he stopped when he noticed a cloud conceal the crescent moon. A single thunderous bolt from Silverpelt resonated in his paws. He fearfully glanced at the she-cat, whose eyes were rolled back in unconsciousness and only softly breathing. His heartbeat pounded louder and louder, until he could no longer think straight. It was just too much!

Finally he couldn't bear the tension and clamped his teeth on the she-cat's neck until she was dead. The terror in him seemed to resolve, so he mustered up the strength to drag the she cat to a soft pile of dirt. There he dug up a hole where he tossed her in before hiding her body so no one would know of her existence. He shook himself free of dust, deciding to search for the dead cat's friend. He wanted to kill it just like he had killed her. He wanted the last thing it saw to be his wicked grin as it died a slow and painful death. He had only started to smell the air when a yowl coming from the general direction of the clan's camp.

"The sun has not even risen and you are already out hunting for the clan?" Littlecloud mewed admiringly from afar. As he drew nearer, he noticed the scars and blood on his friend's back. "What happened?" He gasped, looking around wildly, "Who did this to you?"

The he-cat didn't respond immediately. "A badger," he finally answered, flicking his tail towards Thunderclan territory, "and he went that way."


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The vibrant colors that decorated the trees reminded Robinpaw that leaf-bare was just around the corner. She liked this time of the season, where a rainbow of colors lit up every path. The satisfying crunch the leaves gave under her feet was more than enough reason to go and out and hunt with her friend Icepaw. Besides, Raincloud had given her the day off from Battle Training, so she might as well be helping out the clan. Icepaw had been hunting before, but according to the other apprentices, had never caught anything yet.

Icepaw bounded ahead of her, followed by her mentor, Oakleaf and Robinpaw closely behind.

"Icepaw," Robinpaw called after her friend, "You're scaring all the mice away with your jumping around! I don't want to come back to the camp without even a measly mouse to give." Icepaw shrank in embarrassment, but perked up when she saw the laid-back look on her friends face.

Oakleaf nodded in agreement, "Robinpaw is right, though. With leaf bare coming sooner this year we have to do our part to keep it strong. Every piece of prey caught is life to the clan. Keep on the lookout for pray, and make sure you keep in mind what we've taught you."

Once the three cats were fully surrounded by green forest, they began their search for prey. Robinpaw tasted the air. She was still learning to distinguish the scents, but she managed to scent a vole nearby. She followed the scent, which lead her directly to a berry bush. The young she-cat lay low, so her belly almost touched the earth, keeping her eyes and ears fixated on the bush. A moment later, a medium sized vole stumbled out from the vegetation. Icepaw and Oakleaf noticed too and watched Robinpaw's strategy. The vole moseyed across the earth, but as soon as it caught the apprentice's scent it darted the opposite direction. However, Robinpaw had already accounted for that, swiping her extended paw to exactly where her victim would be. Before it even had time to squeal it was already dead. Robinpaw proudly carried it to Oakleaf and laid it at his feet.

"Not bad," Oakleaf praised, "I admire your smart thinking-thinking like your prey. That's a true hunter right there. Now we all must thank StarClan for this animal's life sacrificed for us." Robinpaw dipped her head solemnly and thanked Starclan, though inside she was burning with excitement.

"Icepaw," Oakleaf turned to his apprentice, "can you smell any other prey?"

Icepaw nervously sniffed the air, and thought long and hard over her answer. "I...I think I smell a chaffinch." Oakpaw nodded and signaled for her to start. Icepaw paused for a long time, tasting the air and silently moving towards the bird. Robinpaw spotted it. It was a full tree length away but Icepaw continued to prowl patiently. At last she was in killing distance, and the bird, who was picking up fallen seeds off the ground, was still unaware of her coming death. With a fierce yowl, Icepaw sprang at her prey. The bird fluttered into the air, and would have escaped with his life if its wing hadn't caught on the she-cat's claws. With a swift bite to the neck, Icepaw had killed her very first bird.

Oakleaf was impressed. He licked his apprentice on the forehead affectionately before congratulating her, "Well done Icepaw, I don't think I've ever seen an apprentice with her very first kill being a bird! For that you get first pick in the prey pile!"

As Icepaw basked in her mentor's praise, Robinpaw felt a twinge of jealously. Not only had her friend caught a bird as her first kill, but it would certainly be the story of the day. She bitterly remembered her first kill, a tiny shrew that was unfit to make dirt on. She had tried to keep that memory from resurfacing, but time and time again it just kept coming back up. The better side of the calico apprentice forced her to forget and be happy for her friend. Jealousy would get her nowhere.

By the end of the hunt, the three of them had caught three squirrels, a vole, two plump starlings, and Icepaw's prized chaffinch. Heading back home, Oakleaf complimented both of them of a job well done before dismissing them to free time. That made Robinpaw feel a bit better. Hunting had stirred up an appetite in her, so after she dropped off her kill on the fresh-kill pile, she selected a mouse she planned to eat in the apprentices' den.

Just then Foxfur walked up and surveyed the pile. "The three of you did well, considering how far into leaf-fall we are. But we will need strong warriors to be constantly bringing in food to the clan if we are to survive. "Robinpaw was about to object and say apprentices could hunt too but she held her tongue. The senior warrior eyed the kill hanging in Robinpaw's mouth. "I hope that's going to the elder's den." Obediently Robinpaw nodded and started on her walk to the elder's. Her stomach growled; smelling the warm kill was all too tempting. It took all of Robinpaw's strength to keep from snapping up the juicy morsel then and there.

"About time," Smallear grumbled when the apprentice entered the den. "If you waited any longer I would have starved." The old tom lean forward and took the kill from Robinpaw. He began crunching on the bones, savoring the tantalizing flavor. His slow and creaky movements revealed his rapid ageing. Robinpaw didn't say anything, but turned her attention to the other elder, Reedwhisker.

"Don't be so hard on her; I know I never enjoyed tending to the elder's." Reedwhisker interrupted. She smiled warmly at the apprentice, and Robinpaw responded with a brief blink of gratitude. "I remember by apprentice days very well," The elderly tabby continued. A look of mischief came into her eyes. "One time, this grumpy old elder was constantly nagging me," She paused, thoughtful, "his name, I believe was Dulleye, no it was Greyeye! Yes, Greyeye. Well he was always nagging me to do things over and over again. Once he told me to fetch him more bedding even though I had just brought him some. He refused to sleep in his bedding because he found a mayfly walking on it! Can you believe it?" Robinpaw shook her head. As much as Smallear despised her, for reasons unknown, he had never been so picky.

The dappled elder mewed, "Now I have always thought of myself to be a patient cat. I never snapped at him and I did my best as an apprentice. But this was too much." Reedwhisker lowered her voice, as though the spirit of Greyeye himself would hear her, "That same night, I plotted a little prank on him to get even. I went into the woods and caught a fat mouse. Then I ripped open its flesh and placed a pawful of beetles in the mouse's stomach. I delivered the food to the elders, anxious to see his reaction. Greyeye bit into his meal, completely unaware of what I had done, and you should have seen his reaction when dozens of beetles came crawling out! I considered ourselves even."

Robinpaw gasped; she would never have imagined that this gentle, fragile feline could concoct such devious plan.

"You really did that?" Robinpaw burst into laughter at the image. She imagined Smallear biting into a mouthful of beetles. It made her laugh even harder.

Smallear snorted. "Well that was the past. But right now I could use someone to get rid of some of my ticks."

"I can take care of that, Robinpaw, you go on ahead and do whatever you apprentices do. But would you mind stopping by the medicine cat's den and getting something for my joints? It's been aching for days. I think it's called Ragwort leaves." Robinpaw briskly nodded, grateful to avoid rubbing mouse bile on Smallear's back.

At the medicine cat's den, she called to the medicine cat: "Mossfur, Reedwhisker needs some Ragwort leaves for her joints, do you have any?" The thick furred she-cat paced up to the apprentice.

She purred, "Well I'm doing just fine, thanks for asking."

Robinpaw flicked her tail uncomfortably. "Oh no, I didn't mean it like that. I-"

"It's fine, little one. Now was it Ragworts you wanted?" Mossfur turned to her apprentice who was busily sorting herbs. "Whitepaw, do you remember how to use Ragwort leaves?"

Whitepaw looked up and thought for a moment. "You crush and chew it too a pulp and give it with juniper berries if you want to treat joint pain." He looked at Mossfur uncertainly.

The medicine cat nodded in agreement, so Whitepaw limped to the storage shelf and brought out a pawful of the correct herbs. As he walked Robinpaw watched his awkward movements. She wasn't completely sure, but many of the other cats had hinted his leg was paralyzed at birth, preventing him from ever being a warrior. But he didn't mind. Before anyone had ever told him he couldn't be a warrior, he had already wanted the life of a medicine cat. "This is the last of the juniper, should I go get some more later?"

"I don't think we'll have time today. I want to check on the elders and on Sorrelstripes. Her kits are due any day now and I want it to go smoothly. You'll need to be there to so you can see how to prepare for the birth of kits. We'll go tomorrow on our way to the Moonpool."

Suddenly Robinpaw blurted, "I can go with Whitepaw, if you want me to. I don't have anything else I need to do today so I might as well help the clan. Please Mossfur?" The words escaped her throat before Robinpaw could even think about them. Robinpaw bit her lip in embarrassment.

The old medicine cat looked curiously at Robinpaw, who hardly ever spoke out like that.

"If Whitepaw doesn't mind the company. Just go now so he'll be back before I check on Gingerpelt." Whitepaw agreed and finished sorting the herbs. Mossfur quietly sat next to Robinpaw. She looked at Whitepaw, who was too busy sorting the herbs to notice, and then to Robinpaw. Her normal friendly eyes were replaced with a solemn stare.

"Robinpaw,"

"Yes, Mossfur?"

"You understand that Whitepaw can never have a mate?"

Robinpaw sighed heavily. "Yes, Mossfur-I know."


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Robinpaw was right; Icepaw's catch became the story of the day. Even the kits in the nursery were pretending to have caught a bird midair. It took awhile for Robinpaw to get over it, but when she saw how happy Icepaw was while sharing tounges, she grew to be genuinly happy for her friend. It made her happy to see Icepaw so full of life.

Sharing toungues was a good way to end the day, strengthen bonds with friends and hear the latest gossip.

"Oakleaf had never been so proud of me!" Icepaw mewed happily. She and Robinpaw were outside the apprentices' den along with Fernpaw and Whiskerpaw.

"I think that bird was just too clumsy to get away in time," Whiskerpaw retorted crossly. He was obviously growing sick of this conversation.

Fernpaw stopped licking Whiskerpaw long enough to defend Icepaw, "Icepaw was just too swift for that bird." Very carefully she guided the conversation away from Icepaw. "So how did it go with Whitepaw? Did you say you went with him to collect some juniper berries?" At first Robinpaw thought she was implying she knew of her liking towards the medicene cat apprentice, but when Fernpaw continued licking Whiskerpaw, she realized she wasn't suggesting she liked him.

"Good," Robinpaw said. She made sure she didn't sound too excited, "We found big patch of juniper berries and we brought several pawfuls to the camp. But I did get a noseful of thorns when I stuck my nose right into the bush."

The calico apprentice didn't add how magical the whole time felt, even when Whitepaw had to pull the thorns out of her muzzle. The memory sent shivers up and down her spine; Robinpaw could still feel his warm breath as he carefully pulled out thorn after thorn. She loved the way his brow creased up in concentration when he worked on something. The whole incident would have made her feel embarrased, except Whitepaw didn't really mind. He just asked her if she was okay and set to work in getting them off.

The other three purred with laughter, but Robinpaw didn't really mind. Her mind was still lingering in the woods with Whitepaw. She just continued to clean Icepaw, thinking about her time with Whitepaw.

...

Wind bit at Robinpaw's short fur as she crept into the apprentices' den. _Signs of leafbare, _Robinpaw thought. Suddenly she wished she had longer fur to sheild her from the cold. Except for Whiskerpaw, the den was completly empty. The she-cat apprentice flicked her tail nervously-she had always tried to avoid being alone with Whiskerpaw, because when no one else was around he tended to put her down.

"Hello, Robin_kit_," Whiskerpaw snarled in a mock friendly voice, "In case you forgot, the nursery is that way." He flicked his tail to point to the Queens' den. The warmth of that day trickled away as his cruel words bounced in her head.

"I'm an apprentice, and you know that," Robinpaw growled. She could feel her hackles rising.

Whiskerpaw flicked his ears carelesly. "I don't give a mousetail how old you are, but if you really are an apprentice, than why hasn't Firestar taken you to a gathering yet?" Robinpaw flinched, so Whiskerpaw knew he found her weakspot.

"You've been an apprentice for three moons now, and you still haven't been to a gathering. I went to one the month after I became an apprentice and now I've been twice. Firestar must think you are not a real clan cat."

"That's a load of badger droppings! Icepaw hasn't been to one either!"

"That's because she sprained her leg and couldn't leave the camp for two moons."

Robinpaw felt her face grow hot with anxiety, and she was releived when Fernpaw and Icepaw bounded in and settled down in their nests. Whiskerpaw went back to licking his paws. Robinpaw let her hackles drop.

"Sweet dreams," Fernpaw yawned while she curled up between Whiskerpaw and Robinpaw. In a matter of minutes, the whole den was filled with silence. Robinpaw, however lay restless for what seemed like moons. Her mind replayed what Whiskerpaw had said. In a way, he was right. Something was keeping Firestar from sending her to a gathering, but what was it? The next gathering was in a half-moon, so she had time to ask him if she could go to the gathering. Still, she wondered what Firestar was keeping her, preventing her from being a normal clan cat. Her mind raced, her heart pumped faster untill she was certain her fellow apprentices could hear it.

Finally she couldn't stay in there any longer. Silently, to avoid waking the other apprentices, she crept out of the den into the black of the night. The temperature had already dropped, so she could see her breath float out in soft puffs of air, and slowly fade from sight. The wide open space and the stillness of the earth calmed Robinpaw down greatly. She decided to go get a sip from a nearby stream to take her mind off things. It was too dark to see, but Robinpaw already knew the trail by heart. She walked untill she smelled the familiar scent of vegetation that grew predominatly by the stream. Robinpaw was only a fox length away from the water when a shocking scent froze her in her tracks.

Windclan.

She knew that scent well, she remembered it when a group Windclan warrior had come into Thunderclan to speak with Firestar. But what was a cat from another clan doing here, so deep in Thunderclan territory? The apprentice tasted the air again, and scented another cat, a Thunderclan cat. The two cats were too far away to figure out who they were, so Robinpaw stayed quiet to see if they would reveal any clues on their identity.

"...That flea-bag Firestar is getting on my last nerve." A she-cat growled, her cold voice was clearly audible over the howling wind, "Where are the rebels you promised?"

"I told you, it's difficult to figure out if some cats are rebel material. I can't start yowling 'all cats who want to take over Thunderclan come over here' and not excpect trouble." The other cat answered firmly. He continued "Besides, it takes time to gain their trust. I already have a few who are prepared to attack, but we'll need more than that if we want to have enough power to control Thunderclan."

"You have a half-moon to get me a pack of rebels. If not, I'll take what you have and crush Windclan too. It will be easy, because I'll have the keys to their control in my paws. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do." he replied softly.

The she-cat growled an unintelligable dismission before they split off in different directions. Robinpaw tried to get a closer look at the cats, but it was too dark to make out anything clearly. She waited for a good ten minutes, ensuring that the cat's wouldn't see her. She shuddered to think what would happen if they had seen her listening in on their conversation. Robinpaw had never before been so frightened; a cat from her own clan was prepared to overthrow Thunderclan! She tried to imagine the cat, and it chilled her bones even more to think it was someone she knew-someone she trusted! The thought of warning Firestar crossed her mind, but what good would it do if she had no proof. It would only alert the mystery cat and put her in more danger.

Robinpaw was utterly lost.


	5. Chapter 3

****Just a note: This map is based off the ones in the original series (before the lake). Please review and tell me any of your ideas. Also for when Robinpaw becomes a warrior later, I need help thinking of a good warrior name. I think -wing and -feather are overused so I don't want to use those. I was thinking -whisper or -song or something like that. Please give me your suggestions for Robinpaw or the other apprentices. If I like it you will get your screenname posted on the chapter where the name first appears! Enjoy!****

**Chapter 3**

Robinpaw ran the whole way home, until she was back in the safety of her camp.

_No, I'm not even safe here, _she reminded herself fearfully. The fur on her back was still stuck straight up. She quickly licked her paw and slicked it back, hiding any look of terror on her face.

Someone here is a traitor-willing to destroy the whole clan to get what they want. She remembered the voice, so vile, so ruthless. Her mind traveled to the infamous Tigerstar, a large cat from Thunderclan who had plotted against his own leader. She didn't know much about him since the clan found the subject distasteful, but as a kit Robinpaw recalled the stories the queens had passed to the kits, warning if you left the camp unsupervised Tigerstar would find them. It certainly worked in keeping the kits out of trouble, but the young apprentice wondered if they added a bit of extra lies to his treachery to make him all the more ruthless, because it didn't seem like any cat could do what he had done. Killing a medicine cat for bait? Who could have such an icy heart?

Robinpaw tried to convince herself that what she just saw was just a figment of her imagination, but the vague scent of the cat still lingered in her mind. But who could it be? Surely no cat could have the same twisted mind as Tigerstar. She thought through every cat in the clan, probing through possible motives and hints of rebellion. No one stood out.

The Thunderclan cat, judging by their voice was likely a she-cat, but she still couldn't think of a face that would want to get rid of Firestar. In fact, for the first time in seasons-according to the elders-all the clans were getting along and relations between the clans were better than it has ever been. No skirmishes over territory, corrupt leaders, nothing. Everything seemed to be perfect.

Until now. An eerie chill rushed over Robinpaw. This one cat has the power to break the clan's delicate relationships.

The calico tabby stood outside of the apprentices' den. No one had noticed her absence, so she gave her one moment to compose herself before returning to her nest. Robinpaw couldn't sleep. Instead her mind wandered to the long forgotten stories of Tigerstar. It seemed as though his spirit had once again returned to the clans.

* * *

It was an endless, sleepless night for Robinpaw so she was relieved to feel the warm sun penetrate the den's walls. She rose at once, stretching her aching muscles and stepping into the direct sunlight. Its warm rays seemed to melt away the heavy burdens of the night before. The ground was slightly wet, so Robinpaw could easily guess it had rained a lot during the night. She liked it though. The smell seemed very intriguing and she loved the feel of cool mud between her paws.

"Good morning, Raincloud," Robinpaw purred to her mentor affectionately as he walked passed. "Same to you, young one." He touched his nose to hers. "Today seems like a good day for some battle training. But before that Brightmoon had asked me to lead a morning patrol. I thought it would be good to bring you along, there's no wrong in re-learning the boundaries. Are you up for the challenge?"

"I can't wait!" Robinpaw's eye gleamed in answer.

"I'll see you at the Sandy Hollow then at sun high." He slipped away, leaving Robinpaw with a free morning.

The mention of boundary patrol excited Robinpaw, because as soon as the patrol caught the scent of Windclan in our territory, they would at least know something was amiss. Whoever was preparing to take over Thunderclan would find it harder to seize such control if Thunderclan had more and more patrols to keep out the Windclan intruders. This comforting idea allowed Robinpaw to push the terror of last night away. She even felt a bit hungry.

The young cat hooked a small vole with her claw and dragged it to the stump where apprentices often ate. Just then Icepaw, Fernpaw, and Whiskerpaw walked out of the apprentice den. Their eyes were all clouded with sleep.

"You're up early, Icepaw yawned, giving herself a quick bath. Fernpaw sat right beside her.

"I didn't sleep very well. But guess what, Raincloud just told me I'm going on a border patrol! I wonder what it's like."

"You lucky mouse! I didn't go on a border patrol until I had been an apprentice for four months!" Fernpaw exclaimed. She batted her paw at Robinpaw playfully, and the three apprentices continued to chatter about the excitement.

"What's so great about a border patrol?" Whiskerpaw interrupted, "It must be very dangerous if they need a kit like YOU to protect us from rogues and brainless Kittypets."

Robinpaw shifted uncomfortably. "W-well, you never know." Fernpaw cut in, "Robinpaw's right. Riverclan is always trying to claim Sunning rocks and the other clans grow bigger every moon. You never know when they'll try to take more prey. Whiskerpaw didn't answer but dismissively flicked his tail and walked away.

"Don't listen to him. He's just jealous. Trust me. In fact I bet he resents me for being born first." Robinpaw and Icepaw purred in agreement; despite Fernpaw and Whiskerpaw being littermates, they didn't act alike.

"I better get going," Robinpaw told her friends, "Raincloud might want me to start preparing for the patrol." She gave them a quick nudge before heading off to find her mentor. Just below highrocks, she saw Brightmoon and a small group of cats, probably organizing the border patrols. She headed towards them and at last found her mentor among the cats.

Robinpaw was just in time to hear Brightmoon announce the patrol. "We will have Ashclaw, Honeyfrost, Foxfur, Mapledrop, and Robinpaw be led by Raincloud for the dawn patrol." The chosen cats dipped their heads in acknowledgement and began their trek for the patrol.

The young apprentice tried to keep still as they walked towards their boundaries near Shadowclan, but the anxiety coursing through her body wouldn't allow it.

"Ants in your fur?" Mapledrop grinned as she trotted next to her, "You must be excited, on your very first patrol."

"Yes, I'm a little nervous, actually." She admitted.

"Well don't worry too much little one." the elder warrior paused for a moment, tasting the air, "Either way I don't think this be an eventful patrol seeing that last night's drizzle wiped away all the scents. We just need to remark the boundaries. "

Robinpaw smelled the air, and felt her heartbeat stop. _The rain washed out all the scents. Now there's no proof of Windclan in our territory. _Robinpaw had completely forgotten about the rain! How could she have been so mouse-brained!

Terror pierced her heart; only one cat knew a traitor was in their midst, and that was her.

Sure enough, when they reached the area the Windclan cat and the Thunderclan she cat were in, none of the warriors knew what had happened here. Robinpaw longed to tell them all what she saw, but how could she? Who would believe her? It was more likely they would think she was dreaming it up. With no proof, not only would Robinpaw lose her credibility, but the traitor would be warned about her suspicion. She was trapped.

This was a battle Robinpaw would have to fight herself.


	6. Chapter 4

****I must thank my readers for laboring through these chapters because I have to admit the last few chapters have been somewhat...well b-o-r-i-n-g! I assure you that it will get more exciting as the story progresses. So here's Chapter 4. ** (=D)**

**Chapter 4 **

That night a thin drizzle soaked into the camp, dripping even into the nests. Robinpaw aroused feeling quite stiff and damp.

"Mrrrow!" She stretched her aching muscles, waiting for her fellow friends to become reanimated. Finally, Fernpaw's eyes opened. "Did it rain last night?" She yawned.

"Yep, I'm chilled to the bone. With the constant wind and now this rain my teeth are chattering all the time." Robinpaw answered. She started licking herself dry.

Fernpaw trotted next to Robinpaw to do the same. "I don't know how WindClan stands the wind in the moors." They chattered for a while, until eventually Icepaw and Whiskerpaw stirred as well.

"Brrrr," Icepaw shivered as she vigorously shook her silvery fur, "I need some fresh bedding thanks to that rain." She looked at the other's beds. "And by the looks of it, you _all_ do."

"The whole clan needs new moss." Fernpaw corrected, "We should probably change it all out. I don't think we've changed it in a while."

Whiskerpaw retorted, "I don't think we have a choice, Fernpaw. It's our _royal_ duty as 'paws." He mewed the last part with great sarcasm.

"Well we can still make it fun. I say we all go collect moss together before training."

Fernpaw's optimistic attitude seemed to lift them all up a bit. Theyall trotted out of the den and went to find Brightmoon, ThunderClan's deputy.

"I'm proud to see you young ones taking initiative to care for the clan. You are all going to make fine warriors one day." Brightmoon beamed. "But I don't want all my apprentices leaving at once without supervision." She thought for a moment. "I'll ask Foxfur to accompany you all. He's sure to keep you all in line." The ThunderClan deputy smiled before trotting away.

Robinpaw watched the grey she-cat slip away. She revered Brightmoon; she was everything the apprentice wanted to be. Brightmoon, although she did not have any kits, took the clan as her brood. She was gentle and fair, caring for the clan beside Firestar. Yet, despite her motherly nature, she also had an unforgettable aggressiveness. One look at her and it's easy to underestimate her fight. She's small in build but what she lacks in size she makes up for with fierce loyalty and wit. It was no wonder she had so much respect through all the clans.

It didn't take long for Foxfur to pad up to the group of apprentices. "You all ready?" The senior warrior asked. When the apprentices nodded, they all headed off to collect as much fresh moss as they could. The feel of the being back in the forest felt good to Robinpaw. She sniffed the air and discovered a portly vole that was just begging to be caught. She quickly killed it and buried it so she could carry it back to camp later.

"Here's a large patch of moss," Foxfur called, "Grab as much as you can in your mouth and the rest tuck under your chin. That way you'll collect twice as much." The apprentices nodded in agreement, and set to work gathering bedding.

The moss patch was nearly empty by the time they collected as much as they could carry. "We may need to make another trip," Whiskerpaw mewed. Fernpaw and Icepaw groaned at the thought, but they kept bounding ahead enthusiastically.

Robinpaw tried to keep up, but suddenly, she was dizzy. Her vision was leaving in blotches, and her head felt unnaturally light. She managed to walk straight, but she lagged behind, so no one else noticed. _What's going on? _Robinpaw staggered across the forest floor, dropping the moss she was holding. The young cat tried to stand still and sit down, but she wasn't controlling her movements any more. The sounds of her friends grew more and more distant….more and more foggy. Her thoughts were raced and unfocused…like…..like she had eaten a handful of poppy seeds…But this….this was much worse…She could scarcely breathe… Robinpaw tried to call for help, but her voice got caught in her throat. It came out as a weak whisper. Suddenly, despite the fogginess of her thoughts, she heard something clearly and prominently:

"Nooo!" It was the desperate caterwaul of a tom. His scream brought fear to her stomach. The sound ripped through the forest trees and echoed in her mind. The sound was angry and filled with fear and dread. It was high and loud unearthing every dark experience through my head, forgotten memories happened again and again.

In her mind she imagined a frantic she-cat running. She was holding something...but Robinpaw couldn't tell what it was. Then the scream attacked a second time. Robinpaw desperately tried to locate the sound, but her both her ears deceived her. _Where is the sound coming from? _

Her vision cleared just enough to notice her clan mates up ahead. Not only did they seem unruffled by the piercing shriek, it didn't look like they _heard _it! _Why can't they hear it? Is it just me? What's going on? StarClan, please help me! _ A sharp pain shot through her body, and her heartbeat rose uncontrollably. She couldn't take it anymore! _Was this what it felt like to die? Oh, please StarClan let it be quick. _

"Robinpaw?" She could scarcely distinguish Icepaw's voice. Or was it Fernpaw? "Robinpaw are you okay? Robinpaw answer me!" Robinpaw could barely understand the words; they all jumbled together in her head. Icepaw (or possibly Fernpaw) said something else, but was drowned out by another voice in Robinpaw's head. This time, it wasn't a tom's scream-it was a she-cats gentle voice:

"Go Robinpaw, go now….go….."

_Go? Go where? Go?_

But she was too dizzy to care. Without trying to think for another second, she found the strength to dart off in a direction. The apprentice really didn't no where she was going, all she knew was that she needed to go-anything to get her mind back. Robinpaw ran as far as she could, she didn't stop, no she didn't even think about stopping. All she could think about was the she-cats smooth voice, and the command to go.


	7. Chapter 5

****I apologize for how short and choppy the previous chapter was, and no, Robinpaw is not going crazy...well...I will leave that for you to decide... ;-) In addition, I updated the last chapter and the Allegiances to better fit the story. Check the bottom half of Chapter 4 to see the changes, the only change is what the tom screams and right after the she-cat's voice. Go to the very bottom of the Allegiances to see the changes. ****

**Chapter 5**

Robinpaw blinked, adjusting her eyes to the sunlight directly above her. Her head ached, and she didn't have the strength to get up. Robinpaw was about to go back to sleep, when she realized she was not sleeping on the soft moss of home. Instead, she was lying on hard earth.

Robinpaw wasn't home.

She forced herself awake and tried to figure out how in StarClan she got there. She couldn't remember what happened to her, but every time she tried to think, the pain in her head grew bigger. She sniffed the air, and alarm pulsed through her when she detected the scent of another cat, much bigger than her. Much bigger. Robinpaw could only tell she wasn't in her own territory, but the scent of the environment was different than anything she had ever really smelled.

"Look who woke up, Alto," a tom somewhere purred. Robinpaw jerked to alertness. She forced out a threatening growl, her hackles raised. She grit her teeth and ignored the ache in her head and the faint dizziness she felt. In front of her were two short haired toms, one was black with pure white legs and the other was a dark red tom except for his hind leg which was white. They were older than Robinpaw, that was clear, but Robinpaw wouldn't go down without a fight. She bared her teeth at them.

"Whoa, little one, we mean no harm," The cat who previously spoke dropped to the ground making himself look harmless. The reddish brown cat copied his movements.

"Who are you?" Robinpaw asked, curling her tail. She puffed her tail up to make herself look bigger than she was.

The black and white tom answered fearlessly, "I'm Alto, and I live here with Upwalkers. And this," he flicked his tail towards the other tom, "is Achilles."

Achilles dipped his head and added, "I live here with Upwalkers too." When Robinpaw still had a puzzled expression on her face, he quickly explain Upwalkers were what some cats call Twolegs. The two cats slowly rose back onto all fours.

"You don't look like you live around here do you?" Alto asked.

Robinpaw shook her head and managed to reply. "No, I live in the forest. I am an apprentice warrior of ThunderClan." Achilles looked puzzled at these words but Alto's eyes sparkled at the discovery.

"Ah, those wild cats that live in the forest. I've heard rumors of them, but I didn't know they really existed." Alto stared in awe. "A real wild cat," He breathed.

"For a wild cat you are awfully skinny, do you eat anything in the forest?" Achilles asked, comparing Robinpaw's body to the well-fed bodies of kittypet.

"I'm healthy for a Clan cat, unlike you kittypets who eat slop all day!" she snapped. The two toms stepped back, taken aback by her sudden outburst. Robinpaw ducked her head, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her thin frame.

"I'm sorry-I…I didn't mean…"

Alto interrupted Achilles' stuttering, "Well slop or not, you still need to eat. You have been passed out here for a whole day, in case you didn't know. We saw you passed out yesterday, but we thought one of those monsters or something had hit you. However, today we saw you breathing so we came here to see who you were. You must be starving, aren't you? We have some kibble to spare."

Robinpaw barely nodded her head, too weak to speak. It was true, she was famished, but would she really have to eat kittypet food? The two cats began heading for the Twolegs houses. They walked slowly so the weak she-cat could keep up but even then, it was a battle. She trailed behind them, partly because of her weariness, but also because she did not trust these kittypets. Not one bit.

The three cats padded to behind the Twolegs' nest to a smaller version of it They crept through the entrance and inside. It felt good, much warmer than the outside biting winds.

"You rest here for a spell, get warmed up. I'll go and fetch you something to fill your belly." Alto told her. He dashed off quickly.

Achilles glanced at Robinpaw, "If you don't mind being alone I think I'll go find my mate so you can meet her. Just settle anywhere you feel at home." The reddish brown tom rushed out of the barn in search of his mate. Alone, Robinpaw looked around the empty barn. It was small but cozy. To the right was a mountain of hay piled no higher than a fox length tall. In the center back along the wall were an array of strange stick like things. Most were made of wood but had sharp prong-like things protruding out of the top. They looked deadly.

"Probably a Twolegs thing," she decided. Twolegs always did strange things. To the right of the weapon sticks was more hay and a large silhouette of something. Curious, Robinpaw cautiously approached the object. As she got closer, the air felt thicker and musky. She gagged in disgust at the revolting stench that permeated the room. Instantly Robinpaw recognized the scent; it was a monster. She had never seen one so still, and not on the Thunderpath. She couldn't tell if it was dead or just sleeping, but somehow Robinpaw didn't want to find out. She quickly sprinted away from the beast.

Just as Robinpaw settled down in a patch of hay, Alto padded in with a bowl of kittypet food. "I know this isn't what you're used to eating but you still need to eat, you look like you are about to faint." Alto nudged the bowl closer to the young apprentice, who politely bent down and took a bite.

Getting the first bite down was difficult. It was worse than eating pebbles! Robinpaw wanted to spit it out. The more she chewed, the more she longed for the savory taste of fresh kill. Oh, how she long for the juicy meat of a plump mouse, dripping with flavor. Robinpaw almost did spit it out, but she knew how hurt the kittypets would be. They had shown her nothing but kindness. Despite the wretched taste, she did feel a bit better now that she had something in her stomach. Robinpaw quickly cleaned the bowl, feeling quite ashamed that she wanted more to eat.

"Thank you, for the food, I feel much better." She told them politely.

Alto replied, "No problem, and if you want more just ask; I have food to spare."

Robinpaw wondered how her life would be if she didn't have to hunt for food, if they didn't have to battle for hunting land. These kittypets have no idea what it is like in the forest, to never have enough to go around. Such soft, overfed lives these kittypets live! They probably spend their days cleaning their fur and sleeping. I would die if I had such a monotonous existence.

However, Robinpaw only mewed, "Thanks Alto,"

"So what's _your_ name anyways? All this time we've never asked for your name." Alto asked, licking his paw.

"I'm Robinpaw of ThunderClan."

"ThunderClan eh? There are other clans then?"

Robinpaw paused, deciding how to explain it all to a naïve kittypet. "Yes, there are four clans, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. We all share the forest and have our own territory. We care for our own clan by hunting. Every cat in the clan has his or her duties to the clan. They must be fiercely loyal to only their clan."

Robinpaw looked back at Alto, and was shocked to find his eyes closed, taking in her every word. He opened his eyes.

"What is each of the clans like?" Robinpaw was about to answer his question when Achilles walked back into the barn, followed by a she-cat and another tom.

"Hello, sorry for the wait but I wanted you to meet all the cats that live around here. This is Barney." The plump tom mewed a warm greeting. "And this," Achilles flicked his tail towards the she-cat, "is my mate Scarlet."

The she-cat dipped her head in greeting. "Nice to meet you and I hope these fur balls have been treating you well, we don't get many new kittypets here very frequently." Scarlet shook her beautiful orange pelt before settling down next to Achilles. Her belly was swollen with kits.

Robinpaw's eyes opened wide. "Oh no, I'm not a kittypet, I'm from the forest. I live with a group of wild cats. I'm Robinpaw by the way."

"Robinpaw," Scarlet mused, "I don't think I've heard a name as unique as that. It suits you well." Robinpaw blushed at the compliment.

"So if you aren't coming to stay with Twolegs, why are you here? I mean don't take this the wrong way, but I you are a clan cat, shouldn't you be with the clan?" Alto asked.

Robinpaw didn't answer the question for a while. _How was she supposed to answer that? _Was she supposed to tell them she ran here because a voice inside her head told her too?

"I got in a fight with my clan mate." She bluffed. "I don't know, I just got angry and I didn't want to stay in the camp. I –I just sort of ran away."

Alto and Achilles seemed satisfied with that answer, but the way Scarlet stared at the apprentice showed Robinpaw she didn't believe her for a second.

"I'm sorry about that, dear," Scarlet murmured cordially. "You can stay here for as long as you like." Her eyes sparkled when she added, "_Please_ stay for a while. Between these toms and my Twolegs, I might go crazy without the company of a she-cat."

Achilles added, "My Twolegs don't use this barn in Leafbare. You can stay here. The hay makes a good nest

Robinpaw smiled at the she-cat. Somehow, she knew they would be good friends.

The three cats bombarded Robinpaw with questions about clan life, giving her a clue as to how little they knew. She tried to answer the questions as best as she could, but every answer brought for new questions. Some _she_ didn't quite know yet. Eventually they wore out the subject of clan life, and it relieved Robinpaw when the spotlight moved to Scarlet.

"When are those kits of yours due, Scarlet?" Barney asked.

"I expect soon. I'll probably stay in my Upwalker's home tomorrow, and get ready. I'll bring them to show you all as soon as I can." She answered matter-of-factly.

Achilles added, "They'll be the best kits in history! With my good looks and charm and her brains they'll be the best cats ever!" Scarlet cuffed his ear lovingly, and purred affectionately. After a while of small talk, the kittypets left for the night.

"If you want to stay, you can make yourself a nest in that hay. It's actually pretty comfy." Achilles told Robinpaw on his way out, "I used to sleep in there on hot Greenleaf days."

Robinpaw thanked him and settled on the hay. It took a while for her to get comfortable, but when she did, she found her eyes getting heavy rather quickly.

Before she fell asleep, she slurred a quick prayer to StarClan, "I know you meant to lead me here, I don't know how, I don't know why, but please-if it's your will, help me to find what I need to."


	8. Chapter 6

****Wow, the last chapter was super long! Sorry about that. Anyways I am thrilled about this story now that I have a general idea on where it is going! (I even have an idea for the next book) ;) Keep reading and review my story please-it makes me type new chapters faster and I am desperate for reviews! ****

**Chapter 6**

Several times in the night, Robinpaw woke up, unsure of where she was. But then she felt the prickle of the hay under her belly and the warmth collected by the barn walls and remembered. Her surroundings did not make her feel better though, because every time she thought of her encounter with the kittypets, she thought of how she got here. She still could not explain what had happened to her a few nights ago. She had never experienced anything like it. Repeatedly she wondered if StarClan had caused her to be so dazed and led her here. _But why here? Why her?_ _Or maybe I just had a hallucination, a crazy, eerie hallucination. _Somehow, it was easier for Robinpaw to believe she was going crazy than the idea that StarClan sent her here. Either way, Robinpaw didn't want to be here. She felt like she was betraying her clan the longer she stayed.

What would her friends think if they knew she was living a soft-bellied life of kittypets? Robinpaw hated herself for it. She missed ThunderClan terribly, and on top of that, she felt like she was putting her clan in danger. She knew there was a traitor amidst the noble cats and it was her duty to investigate. Her body shivered when she recalled that night when she heard that she-cat's treacherous plot to overthrow Firestar. Now she was truly convinced she had to leave.

The sun dimly shown through the barns cracked wood. Robinpaw blinked out the sleep from her eyes and stood up quietly. She peeked through the open barn doors and found the world to be very silent.

The other cats were still sleeping.

Without really thinking about it, she crept out of the barn into the dawn light. It was significantly colder than outside, reminding Robinpaw of the oncoming Leafbare. The open expanse that lay in front of her slightly excited her spirits. The calico she-cat broke into a jubilant run, enjoying the breeze that pushed her fur out of her eyes. It felt good, to run again like she was in the forest. Every step made her more and more anxious to return to home. Home. The comforting thought of ThunderClan's scent urged her onwards. She could barely scent the distinct aroma of ThunderClan when another scent penetrated her field.

Dogs.

She spun around to face the scent. No more than a tree-length away, was two dogs. One was a large grey dog with powerful legs. The other was a scrappy white and brown pooch who was yipping furiously at Robinpaw. Robinpaw had enough common sense to know there was no way she could match up to their deadly bite. She spun around and hoped her speed would be enough to save her life.

Robinpaw ran full speed, ignoring the pain of the thorns that pinched her paws. She ran fast enough to create a larger distance between her pursuers, to her relief. She was almost at the edge of the forest. If the dogs chased her into the forest, she had a good chance of losing them in the thick vegetation; dogs weren't nimble enough to run through the twists and turns of woodlands.

Unfortunately, the cat's foot got caught in a root, yanking her backwards. Robinpaw frantically dislodged her paw, but those few lost seconds untangling herself let her assailants catch up. Running was futile now; they were now only a fox length away. She arched her back and hissed at the dogs, baring her teeth at them.

The bigger dog didn't waste any time. He jumped onto Robinpaw. Robinpaw tried to roll away, but the dog was too big to escape. The large bit down on her back right leg and shook it furiously. Robinpaw yowled in pure agony. She tried to get away from his deadly grip, but there was no way to escape.

"Mrrrrrrrrroooow!" She yowled as she struggled in pain. Blood seeped out of her open leg wound and the tear in her ear the smaller dog had made. Robinpaw laid there for what seemed like eons. _Is this how she was going to end? Mangled by a ferocious beast with the life slowly dripping out of me?_ Maybe this was punishment for living a soft-bellied kittypet life. _Then I deserve it, _Robinpaw decided with a sigh of , Robinpaw heard the painful yowl of the grey dog on her. The large dog released his grip on Robinpaw and ran away whimpering in pain. The smaller dog stopped attacking Robinpaw and looked up. Robinpaw wearily looked up too. Standing in front of her was Alto. The older kittypet had come to her rescue. He growled at the little dog and when the dog didn't leave he pounced on it. Their pelts mixed in Robinpaw's vision, until somehow Alto stood as the lone victor. They both watched as the little dog scampered away whimpering.

"Are you okay? What happened, Robinpaw? How did you get here?" Alto asked frantically. Robinpaw didn't try to answer his questions-she was in too much pain. Alto carefully scooped the injured young cat onto his back and slowly carried her back to the barn. When Robinpaw realized where she was being carried to, she tried to protest.

"Nnoo, must…go…h…" She didn't have the energy to finish her sentence.

"Hush, little one," Alto crooned as gently as he could, "rest now."

It was as if StarClan wanted her to stay here.

Robinpaw vaguely remembered being lain down on her nest of hay. For the rest of the day, she remembered Alto scurrying in and out of the barn. Sometimes he had food, water, or other stuff in his mouth. Other times he just came in to check on her. A little bit later on in the day-Robinpaw couldn't remember the exact time-the other cats came in to check on her. None of them spoke to Robinpaw, or if they did Robinpaw didn't hear it.

The next few days blurred together to the apprentice. In between sleeping and licking her wound, she hardly moved around at all. In most of her dreams, she just heard the same voices as before or flashbacks back to her clan. Once she dreamed she was back in the ThunderClan woods, collecting herbs with Whitepaw. Another time she was back on that cold night, listening to the traitorous plan between the ThunderClan cat and WindClan.

After those few days, Robinpaw began to regain her strength. Four sunrises after the dog attack she regained usual alertness. Alto had just crept in carrying a mouthful of green leaves.

"Wh-what's that?" Robinpaw managed to whisper. Alto jumped at the sound of her voice, but when he realized it was Robinpaw, he seemed overjoyed.

"You're speaking, that's a good sign you're feeling better." Alto purred, "And this is chervil. It should prevent infection and speed up healing in wounds. Your wound looks better, it hopefully should heal up completely soon."

Robinpaw started to ask how he knew all that but Alto spoke before she could. "I've been applying it twice a day, and the other cats have been collecting it for you." Alto begin chewing up the fern-like leaves to a pulp.

"Please tell them I said thank-you and I'm ever grateful for their help." Robinpaw told him honestly, "but I'd hate to impose on you all like this. I don't want you guys having to tend to me." Robinpaw tried to get up, but her injured leg failed on her. She flopped back in her bed.

Alto spat the chewed up herb onto his paw and carefully applied it to her wound. The icy chill of the pulp felt good on her wound.

"Don't you worry, little one." He mewed firmly. "You'll stay here as long as you need too." He pushed a small bowl of food and water to Robinpaw, "Now just eat and rest, I don't want you standing on that leg yet."

Robinpaw half-heartedly took a bite of the kibble, and despite the terrible taste, she couldn't hide how hungry she was. Satisfied, Alto stood up and shook his short black fur out. "Scarlet will come by in a little bit to check on you. Just rest up and focus on getting better."

A few moments later, Robinpaw was alone again.

****Ugh, stupid Robinpaw keeps hurting herself (haha) Anyways I know Robinpaw keeps sleeping a lot, but you would too if all that was happening to herself. She doesn't sleep as much in the next chapters trust me. Thanks for reading! Also, I'm thinking about adding titles to each of the chapters to make it a bit more interesting and to find the chapter you left off on. What do you think of that? Plz review! ****


	9. Chapter 7

****Thanks to Dancingsock for reviewing! You rock for that! Anyways here is the next chapter, and I promise Robinpaw will not seem as lazy from here on out. Thanks! ****

**Chapter 7**

Morning came quickly for Robinpaw, trickling in like golden raindrops. She was surprised to feel that she felt almost as good as new. Except for the stiffness in her leg, she felt much better. Her ear had healed to a small scar that zigzagged across her ear like a thunderbolt. She stretched and scanned the barn. Barney was napping in the corner. He probably had the night watch on me. Robinpaw did not like having them watch her constantly; it made her feel like a helpless kit being cared for by kittypets. Whiskerpaw gave her enough of that at home. She gripped the soft earth indignantly just thinking about that.

Robinpaw calmed herself down; what's the use of getting mad over someone who wasn't even here? Besides, these cats were only trying to help her get better. Still, she didn't like being served like this. Robinpaw walked out of the barn silently, deciding to explore the Twolegs place. Right in front of the barn was the large Twolegs nest. In front of the house was a large fenced in area. Curiously, Robinpaw perched herself on top of the fence post and studied the area. In the center of the clearing were all sorts of herbs growing neatly in a row. Some of them she had never seen before, others she recognized from the Medicine Cat's den. In the corner of her eye, she saw a small rabbit nosing through the herbs. Robinpaw's stomach rumbled. How many sunrises had it been since she had eaten real food? She could just taste the rabbit on her tongue.

She knew she had to have it.

Quickly, Robinpaw ran across the fence post until she was a leap away from her prey. Just when the rabbit was least suspecting, she pounced and proudly held her prey in her mouth. She nearly inhaled her prey into her mouth. The clan cat never realized how nice it was to not be a kittypet eating slop all day. Robinpaw was so consumed with her meal, she didn't notice when Scarlet padded up to her, watching in pure awe.

"How did you do that?" the pregnant she-cat asked, eyeing the dead rabbit.

"We hunt all our food in the clans, it's something we're taught." A few moments of silence passed until Robinpaw offered, "Do you want to try it, it's much better than kitty-" Robinpaw cut herself off, thinking the term 'kittypet' might be offensive to her. She corrected herself. "It tastes better than kibbles."

Scarlet took a tentative bite, and chewed thoughtfully.

"What do you think, Scarlet?"

"I love it!" Scarlet took another bite, and then another, until the remains of the meat was gone. "It must be amazing to eat something so delicious every day, to not have to be under the leash of Twolegs." Scarlet murmured once she finished eating.

Robinpaw nodded, her eyes sparkling, "Yes. We're free to do as we please. I know what it means to have unremitting loyalty and how to be a real cat."

"You enjoy your life in the clan." Scarlet observed. Robinpaw nodded, but the kittypet's next question caught her off guard: "So why are you _here_?"

The question wasn't intended to be sharp or rude, but it still caught her off guard. Robinpaw should have known this was what the kittypet was edging at, but either way she would have eventually had to answer this question. At first, Robinpaw was about to concoct another lie, but she felt like she could be honest with her, she-cat to she-cat.

"You're going to think I'm crazy," Robinpaw started with a nervous flick of her tail, "I probably am."

"No crazier than I am," Scarlet consoled her, "go on."

"I-I was in the woods with some of my clan mates, and-and I started to feel dizzy, light headed and-and I just couldn't focus. It was horrible Scarlet, I didn't know what was happening to me. And then I heard two voices. One was a horrible, shrill yowl of a he-cat. He was screaming 'no!' over and over again. And then I heard a she-cat's voice telling me to go." Robinpaw's voice cracked, so she paused a moment to recollect herself. "I was so scared, so confused, I just ran. I didn't even know where I was going. I just ran. I guess I ran into Twolegs' territory. I must have fainted and you guys found me. I didn't want to tell you all, you might have thought I was crazy, and…and…" Robinpaw broke off into a series of whimpers. Scarlet wrapped her fluffy tail around Robinpaw the way a mother would comfort a kit.

"Scarlet," Robinpaw continued in a softer, sniffled voice, "Do you remember when I told you four about StarClan? I know you don't believe in StarClan, but I really think they sent me here for something. When I tried to leave, th-those dogs were sent by StarClan to keep me from leaving. I don't know what it is, but I think I am supposed to find something here. Why else would I be here?"

Scarlet didn't answer for a while. Her tail was still wrapped around me. She could have mewed anything, anything in the world, but she simply mewed, "If it's StarClan's wish, than I pray you find what you are looking for."

A few minutes of silence passed, until Scarlet mewed, "Let's clean up these rabbit bones, shall we? My Twolegs would be unhappy if they saw this."

"So is this where you and Achilles live?" Robinpaw asked. She felt better than she did several minutes ago.

"No just me. Achilles lives a couple homes down." She flicked her tail in the general direction, "but we spend most of the day together. Sometimes I go over to his home but since my kits are coming tomorrow, he dislikes me walking around too much. He should be here any time now." As if on cue Achilles hopped over the fence, followed by Alto and Barney.

"Dear!" Achilles gasped as he raced towards his mate. "What are you doing out here? You could catch a cold out here!" Scarlet swatted his head affectionately with her paw.

"I am _kitting_, not a kit," she reminded him. He flattened his ears, "I'm sorry, I just want everything to go perfectly." He licked Scarlet's ear and the two began a round of affection.

Barney, who was eager to turn the subject away from their fondness to each other, noticed the rabbit remains on the ground. "Is that a rabbit?" Scarlet answered.

"Yes, Robinpaw here caught it. I tasted it and it was amazing! I've never tasted anything like it before."

"_You_ caught that?" Barney gaped.

"Yes, but it's no big deal, really. I can show you how, if you want." Robinpaw offered. Robinpaw wanted to take those words back as soon as she said them. These kittypets had all the food they needed, and by feeding them the prey of the forest, she and them would be taking away from the clans' portion. The Warrior Code would not allow it. But then again, she was still hungry; that rabbit didn't suffice after four days of going without food and she was a clan cat. She could hunt if she wanted to…right? Besides, the fact that these cats had never tasted a mouse really bugged her. They needed to know what food was supposed to be like.

"Oh would you?" Alto mewed excitedly, "That sounds fun!"

"If you want to, but promise me, we won't do this again, because that prey really belongs to the clans, who desperately need it. For every kill, be thankful for its life, and don't take more than you need. Understand?"

Their eyes grew wide and serious before they all agreed. One by one they all hopped over the fence. All except Scarlet.

"I think I'll stay here, with all these kits in me I'd scare all the prey in a twenty mile radius." Scarlet decided, with an amused twinkle in her eye. I followed the other toms over the fence, all the while thinking how I would keep the kittypets away from the boundaries and out of trouble.

****Oh dear, it seems Robinpaw is getting herself into a pickle here, (sighs). When (or if) Robinpaw gets back to ThunderClan, what do you think it going to happen to her? Do you think she will become a warrior anytime soon or will she be punished for her actions?****


	10. Chapter 8

****Thanks to Gho5t Assault for reviewing! I really appreciate the messages! (And yes, co-op sounds cool to me) Anyways here is the next chapter, not too much happens but oh well...Thanks for the reviews and views; it really is encouraging! ****

**Chapter 8**

The chattering of the forest life was tempting; it took all of Robinpaw's strength to not lead the kittypets into the forest. But she knew how dangerous it would be if she led them into clan territory. Not to mention how wrong it would be. At least if they hunting in the clearing before the woods, they would not _technically_ be trespassing or taking pray that was not theirs...right?

Robinpaw hoped so.

"StarClan forgive me," Robinpaw murmured quietly so the excited house cats would not hear her. The four cats rounded into the clearing. The grass was not closely chopped as it was in the Twolegs gardens, so the chance of prey being nearby was likely. "Okay, we'll stop here. We are downwind so our prey will not be able to scent us. That's really important when hunting. It gives an element of surprise. Can any of you guys smell prey?" She felt awkward, teaching these full-grown kittypets how to hunt as if they were apprentices. No, make that kits. They all shook their heads, even though Robinpaw had smelled a small mouse nearby. She couldn't believe how inexperianced they were!

Finally, Alto spoke up, "I smell something over there, and I think it's a mouse." Robinpaw was shocked he managed to detect it. She began teaching him how to stalk it.

"One thing about a mouse is that they will feel your paw steps before they hear you. It's really important you step as lightly as possible, understand?"

Alto nodded and, before Robinpaw even told him, he executed a perfect crouch. Robinpaw hid how impressed she was, and whispered, "Now, quietly stalk your prey, making sure your paws make absolutely no sound."

Alto didn't respond, but he crouched lower to the ground until the long grass completely concealed him. From where she was standing, Robinpaw could slightly feel his paw steps through the ground, but the mouse seemed oblivious to the vibrations. It probably has never been worried of being hunted in its life.

Finally, Alto spotted the mouse. It was only a few tail lengths away, yet the mouse didn't notice. Alto jumped, and the mouse only noticed the extended claws that shadowed him until it was too late. It tried to run away, running a couple of paces until Alto swatted it down. He held it between his paw and the ground until he gave it a death bite. It was a quick painless, death.

The black and white tom glanced at Robinpaw. "How was that?" he asked.

"You are a natural! Considering that was your first try, you did pretty well for a kittypet," The way light-hearted way Robinpaw spoke let Alto know she was only teasing. Still, she was slightly jealous that a kittypet was able to catch something on their first try. She honestly didn't think that a kittypet had it in them. She immediately felt ashamed for her words, thinking about her own leader, Firestar. He started out as a kittypet, but look where he was now! That was when Robinpaw knew she had some prejudism in her.

"Let's see how you hunt for a kit!" Alto jokingly taunted her back. He carefully placed his catch off to the side to eat later. Robinpaw tasted the air. She couldn't scent anything here, so she moved farther towards the forest edge. Keeping a wary distance from the clan borders, she finally scented something. The scent led her to a dead hollowed log. The young cat peered inside, and was thrilled to find a squirrel. Despite their excess fur, she did like their taste.

She had never caught one yet, but she had picked one out from the fresh kill pile. She couldn't wait to sink her teeth into its juicy meat. _But how would she catch it? _She had never found one in a log. The squirrel had not seen Robinpaw yet, and was facing the opposite direction, cleaning its face. An idea came to her, though she was unsure if it would work. Robinpaw strutted to the opening of the log pretending to know what she was doing. Purposely she tapped the log entrance so the squirrel would realize it was in danger. Instinctively the squirrel darted out the opposite end, but Robinpaw had run on top of the log and was waiting for the squirrel to fall into the planned trap.

It didn't take long before Robinpaw was trotting back with her prized kill. The other cats watched with a flicker of respect in their eyes.

"Achilles and Barney, why don't you try?" Robinpaw mewed, "We'll be over here." Robinpaw sat down next to Alto, anxious to rip open the glorious meat.

"Thank you StarClan for this prey." Robinpaw said aloud. Alto copied her, though he took out the word StarClan. Robinpaw waited for Alto to take his first bite.

"You like it?" She asked.

"I love it! I can't believe how good fresh mouse tastes!" He took another blissful bite. Alto finished the mouse in a couple of bites, licking off the flavor of the forest off his lips.

"Try some squirrel, too." The calico cat shoved the squirrel to Alto.

"Mmm," He mewed taking a second bite of the squirrel, "but a bit to furry for my liking."

"That's true, but squirrel is still my favorite meal."

The two of them talked for a while, until Achilles came back, holding a small mouse in his teeth. He set it down, then said, "I tried tracking a rabbit I saw, but those things are too fast to catch." He shook his fur out and prepared himself for his meal.

"Now we just have to wait for Barney." Alto observed.

Achilles smirked. "We might be waiting a long while."

In a way Achilles was right. By the time they all finished eating and disposing of the bones, the three cats finally saw Barney return in the distance. He held a tiny shrew. It didn't look like it had much meat on it but Robinpaw felt it would crush the plump cat if she pointed it out. Besides, he looked rather proud of his catch.

"Nice catch, Barney!" Alto bluffed. Robinpaw had to hand it to him-Alto was a good liar. Barney snapped up his shrew rather fast, and then told the story of his first catch.

"If you ask me, hunting is too much work. I'd rather have my food given to me. I couldn't find much prey other than a squirrel that ran up a tree. I finally found this shrew in a ditch in the ground and I scooped it up. I'd rather have my kibble, and if you were smart you would just find yourself some Twolegs to feed you and keep you warm instead of scavenging the woods for pickings." Barney huffed crossly. He began trotting back to the Twolegs nests.

Robinpaw rolled her eyes, trying not to take offense. _I guess some kittypets are different from others, _she thought. Barney had his own way of viewing the world.


	11. Chapter 9

****Hey guys okay I know I've been writing a lot but I'm just trying to get in as much before my winter break ends, (waaaaaaaaah)! Sorry about that :/ Also I'm so psyched that I hit 200 views! Thanks to every single one of my readers ****

**Chapter 9**

"Don't worry about him, Robinpaw," Alto assured her as they walked back to Twolegs territory, "Barney's never been much of an active cat. He'd much rather sleep than try new things."

"No, it's fine, I'm just glad that you and Achilles liked it." Robinpaw forced a smile.

Achilles bounded up to the two cats, still dancing on air after tasting fresh kill. "We have to do that again sometime! Mmmm, I can still taste that mouse!"

"Have the three of you been to the Cutter yet? You and Achilles don't act like it." Robinpaw asked. She wasn't sure if that was a question she was supposed to ask but she did anyways.

"You mean the vet? No I haven't been there, my owners tried once, but I ran away. My new owners don't seem to really care. But as soon as they try to whisk me there, I'll be gone. Achilles hasn't been either. And it probably isn't a question that Barney has been there." They both watched the lethargic cat ahead of them, glad that they would never be like that.

A heartbeat later, they were all back in the familiar Twolegs world. Achilles quickly left to go find Scarlet, and Barney slunk away to find a shady place to nap. The remaining two cats strolled around the Twolegs gardens, talking.

"So what do you do here for fun?" Robinpaw asked.

The older tom paused for a moment, before he sheepishly admitted, "Not much, really. I wake up, and then my Twolegs let me out of the house, sometimes I find a place to nap or I meet with the other housecats around here. Lately, I've been kind of by myself. With Scarlet and Achilles so consumed with their coming kits and Barney constantly sleeping, I've had a lot of time on my own."

The grass ahead of us quivered unexpectedly, and Robinpaw tensed up, trying to figure out what creature lurked there. Alto didn't seem as worried and trotted up to where the movement was and investigated. He sniffed the area, pressing his nose further in. The younger cat watched nervously, the tension building up inside of her belly.

"Are you sure you shoul-"

"Shhhh! Stay back!" Alto hissed. He was intent on his investigation. For several moments, neither cat moved. Suddenly Alto jerked his head back.

"Mrrrow!" He yowled as he jumped back.

Robinpaw jumped back a little in surprise. Her hackles rose, ready to attack. Suddenly, the grass moved again, and a little moth flew out from the grass.

"A moth? That's it?" Alto stared in disbelief. Robinpaw purred in amusement.

"Thanks for defending me from that monster. I really don't know what I would have done without you."

Alto laughed and boxed Robinpaw's ears.

"It could have been a rat for all we know," Alto mewed, cuffing Robinpaw's ears playfully.

"If it was wouldn't we have smelled it?"

"Maybe…maybe not."

Robinpaw rolled her eyes and begin trotting ahead, enjoying the warmth of the sun overhead combined with the cool breeze.

"Wait up, Robinpaw!" Alto sprinted towards the she-cat. "I thought of something I used to do for fun. I haven't done it in since Barney went to the vet-or the Cutter as you call it." Alto flicked his ears towards one of the nearby Twolegs' house. "Behind that house, there are a couple of chained up dogs. We used to jump on their backs from on top of the fences when they weren't suspecting. If you do it right, they squeal like a kit."

The thought of getting so close to a dog frightened Robinpaw, especially after her 'experience' with their teeth. Still, she didn't want to look like a scaredy-mouse in front of a house pet. She was a ThunderClan apprentice warrior! She shouldn't be terrified of a slobbering beast!

"Let's try it!" Robinpaw gulped nervously. She was wondering if her house cat friend could sense the unease clawing at her belly, but Alto didn't seem to notice. He bounded ahead, as if he was a young cat again. "Race you there," he called from the distance.

Robinpaw followed, though she could feel her back legs going weak, as the sounds of the dog's bark grew louder.

The dogs were big and malicious, growling at each other cruelly. She cringed at the sight of their snapping white teeth. Alto was already sitting on the fence, watching the beasts carefully. Robinpaw joined him.

"The trick," Alto whispered, "is to get off of them as quickly as possible, yet make as much of a ruckus as possible the few seconds you are on them. Don't unsheathe your claws, or you might leave marks, and Twolegs don't get happy if they find out someone damaged their precious dogs."

"What happens if you d-don't get off quickly?" Robinpaw stuttered.

Alto shuddered. "Then you become dog lunch. But don't worry a cat like you won't get caught in their jaws." Robinpaw wasn't sure if that was supposed to be comforting, but either way, it wasn't. She followed Alto across the fence post until they were pouncing distance from the snarling dogs.

"I call the brown one." Alto decided, leaving Robinpaw with the slightly smaller brown and black mongrel. "One," Alto begin the countdown. He flicked his tail with excitement. "Two." Robinpaw crouched down, preparing for her leap. She focused on staying on the dog for as little as possible. "Three!" They both shot out from atop the fence. Robinpaw gripped onto her dog firmly, just until she was ready to pounce off. Her dog shrieked in terror, and entered a frantic state of bucking his intruder off. His impressive strength sent her flying off his back. The she-cat scrambled up and scurried away to a safe distance, away from the reach of the dogs. Her heart was still pounding, and her paws ached because of the force of which she was thrown off. When she searched for Alto, she found that he had just now jumped off, and was now trotting towards his friend.

"That was exhilarating! Did you hear those dogs squeal? I didn't remember how much they bucked, but that was the best part!" He panted. Robinpaw wasn't so sure. She felt ashamed that a chained up Twoleg's pet had caused her so much fear. What kind of warrior would she make?

Alto continued, "We should probably get out of here, the owners will probably be out here any minute to see what got their dogs so riled up." The young apprentice gladly followed him away from the dogs and into Alto's home. They lounged in the garden patch, licking their tousled fur back into place. This spot was perfect with the sun on their backs, warming their fur. The wind had died down to a cool breeze, making the time all the more enjoyable.

"I know this is a bit random," Robinpaw broke the silence, "But I wanted to tell you I wanted to you how good you did when we were practicing hunting. You're a natural! I didn't even have to tell you how to do it, did I?"

Alto shifted uncomfortably. "It just sort of came to me, that's all."

Robinpaw stopped licking-this was very unlike him. For the few days she had known him, she had never seen him be so closed and cold. Perhaps he didn't want to talk about it, though Robinpaw couldn't understand why.

"I have to go," Alto suddenly got up and padded into his Twolegs nest. "I'll see you tomorrow." He disappeared in the kittypet door without even looking back.

"Bye, Alto," Robinpaw croaked, all the while wondering what a kittypet would need to do so urgently on such a warm sunny day.


	12. Chapter 10

****I wanted to give you all a heads up, now that school is starting back up for me and I recently started co-writing a fan fiction with Gho5t Hunter, new chapters may come out slower and yay I reached the 10th chapter in my series! Woooooooohooooooo!****

**Chapter 10**

The moon changed from a graceful crescent to a full moon. Robinpaw watched it every night, wondering if the next day would be the day she would find what she was looking for. She never did. Day after day she spent learning the ways of kittypets. She had almost tried to go back home again, sure all of her thoughts were in her head. She was certain that StarClan had not sent her here, and she was making it all up. The second time she had tried to escape, she had seen several Twolegs kits at the edge of the clearing. She quickly retreated back to the barn. Another time, she had started to stroll by the woods alone, and saw the same two dogs that had attacked her before.

It was clear that StarClan was trapping her in the Twolegs' world.

More and more Robinpaw viewed this as a punishment for living as a kittypet, breaking one of the biggest rules of the Warrior Code. _But I'm not a kittypet, _Robinpaw protested within herself. _I would give anything to go home,_ _anything to sleep in her nest, eat real food, go on border patrols, or even to hear Whiskerpaw's spiteful voice. _Was she condemned to be prisoner in this petty existence?

Although she despised the sorry life away from the forest, her views on housecats changed. She greatly respected Alto, Achilles, and Scarlet. This life was all they've ever known, yet they openly accepted Robinpaw's living. If it had been the other way, Robinpaw and her clan mates would have cast them off like crow food. They were too full of their opinions to be open-minded. She thought that, if they had been born in the clans, they would have been superior warriors, fighting for their clans even at the cost of their life. She thought of Barney. Despite his lethargic self, Robinpaw could not blame him. He was at the paws of his Twolegs. Alto especially would have been a natural warrior. She remembered his first time hunting. Alto had slipped into instincts like those that she had never seen before.

_"Maybe _the foul talk of kittypets is exaggerated." Robinpaw thought. She didn't feel a twinge of guilt when she said that, however. She didn't care if that kind of talk was against the Warrior Code. "If that means I will rot in the lowest pit of the Dark Forest, then so be it."

.

"They're beautiful!" Robinpaw exclaimed as she watched the reddish brown she-kit scramble on top of his brother, a dark orange tom. A third kit-a cream-colored tom-joined in on the ambush, yipping with excitement. Robinpaw, Alto, Barney, Achilles, and Scarlet and her kits were in Scarlet's garden, seeing her kits for the first time.

Scarlet peered down at her kits affectionately. "Thank you. I wanted you all to see them now that they are strong enough to venture out of the house. They're only three weeks old."

"What are their names?" Barney asked from his spot on the grass.

Achilles answered, his chest puffed up in pride. "The orange one is Tiger, the cream colored tom is Tumbles, and Trouble is the reddish she-kit." He licked Trouble gently, who had just scampered to her father excitedly.

"Trouble looks much like you, and Tiger's orange pelt reminds me of you, Scarlet." Alto observed.

Scarlet purred, "Tumbles acts like Achilles, a cool kitty-too cool for baths," The cats rippled with laughter, and watched Scarlet whisk Tumbles closer to her with her tail so she could lick his puffed up fur down.

"Mama!" He groaned in a small squeak, trying to wriggle free from his mother's iron grip.

"Must you mess your hair up so fast? A blink later and I'll have to fix it again," She chided him, though the warmth in her eyes showed she was too joyful to be mad. Finally she finished, "Go play, sweetie." The new mother nudged her kit back to his siblings, and turned her attention back to her comrades.

"You are going to be a great mother," Achilles told his mate. He rubbed his muzzle on her ears tenderly, "These kits are going to be a close second to the best cat in the world: you."

Robinpaw smiled. She had always thought they were perfect mates. Achilles slick character was balanced by Scarlet's laid back and caring nature. Whenever they slept, their coats blended to look like a late sunset.

"Honey, you seem exhausted. You haven't slept well since the kits arrived. You go rest now, we'll watch the kits now." Achilles offered. Scarlet did look sleep deprived. Her eyes were strained by exhaustion, but she still retained her motherly care.

Scarlet flicked her tail uncertainly. "Oh I don't know, I'm still not comfor-"

"Don't you worry about it," He interrupted. "Go rest now, Scarlet." The thought of a deep sleep tempted the tired mother.

She warily accepted the offer, "Alright, I'll go. But only for a little bit, and if you need anything just get me, I'll sleep on the couch closest to the door so I'll be r-"

"I got it, dear. Don't you worry."

Scarlet gave her mate a grateful lick on the nose before dashing off to her well-deserved rest. Achilles turned to us.

"Would on of you mind helping me watch my kits with me? I'll have my paw's full with just _one_."

Barney offered to help watch them, "I can take my nap later." He yawned.

"I guess we have some free time on our paws," Robinpaw mewed to Alto after she bid farewell to the other cats. The two of them trotted out of the garden, relieved they didn't have to kit-sit all day.

Once they jumped the fence, Alto spoke.

"Hey Robinpaw, I-I was wondering," He bit his lip uncomfortably. "Do you think we could go back in the clearing and catch some mouse or something? I think I can get the hang of it if I practice a few more times. Do you think you could help me?"

The desperate shine in his eye made it hard to say no. Robinpaw breathed in, unsure of what to do. How could she say no to him when he had been nothing but kind to her?

"If you promise we're only hunting a mouse or two. And we won't go into the forest, understand?" Robinpaw ordered. Alto yowled in delight and began bounding towards the clearing.

"Wait!" Robinpaw called, trying to catch up with the housecat.

Robinpaw felt her stomach sink. Every time she tried to make things right she broke the Warrior Code again. If she did ever make it back to ThunderClan, would they even let her in after all she's done? She silently asked StarClan to send her a sign that they would still accept her, but no sign came.

_If a bird flies overhead in ten seconds, then that's StarClan's sign that they forgive me, _she thought. By the time she got to eight, there was no bird in sight. Robinpaw began counting slower. Every passing second her stomach got in a tighter knot. By the time she got to thirty-three, not a single bird entered Robinpaw's vision.

It was hopeless; StarClan had left her. She was the real traitor to her clan. Robinpaw hung her head in shame. The once glittering sun seemed dimmer now, the sky greyer. No crickets chirped, and the wind grew colder and harder. To Robinpaw, everything seemed lost, darker, and distant.

"Robinpaw," Alto's voice snapped the young calico out of her trance, "You okay? You've been staring at the sky for ages. Anyways we're here."

"Right," Robinpaw murmured, still slightly lost in her thoughts, "Do you smell any prey?"

The black and white tom tasted the air, but shook his head. This time he was right; Robinpaw could sense any prey nearby either. "Let's try farther up the clearing." She decided. They still couldn't find prey. They scanned the entire clearing, but they couldn't find a single whisker of prey anywhere.

She sat down in a patch of dried grass, and for some reason, felt a tugging feeling to enter the forest. _No, _she told herself, _I couldn't enter into another clan's territory. But then again, if StarClan had left her, why should I follow the Warrior Code? I'm a free cat now! _

"Alto, follow me," she called, rising from her spot, "We're going into the forest."

****I thought this chapter lacked detail but its good enough :/ And a side note I've mentioned this before but I am using the map BEFORE THE LAKE. I realize the only Twolegs homes are around ThunderClan, but for this fan fiction I'm adding some Twolegs houses…say in front of the Carrionplace and pretend there is a small wood land place to the right of it. Sorry for the inaccuracy but hopefully you'll be able to overlook that****


	13. Chapter 11

****This is a reply to ****Cinderheart22****'s review, because for some reason my computer would not let me message her. Thanks for the comment on my story and I will consider them on the next chapters! If you look closely at the "first person" parts, I had them in ****_italics_****, which shows that they are her thoughts, As soon as the italics stop, the reader is not hearing her thoughts anymore. Erin Hunter does this in her series too which is in third person (example: middle of page 137 in the book ****_Fire and Ice_****) If this is too hard to follow, please let me know if it would be better to put them in "quotes". Thanks again Cinderheart22, I really appreciate that you cared enough to review my story! =) **

**Chapter 11**

The crunch of the leaves under her feet whisked her back to a moon ago, when she went hunting with Icepaw and her mentor. Most of the leaves still decorated the trees at the time, but now, the trees were bare. It seemed like ages ago, as if she was an elder reminiscing about their days as an apprentice. What surprised her most was that there was nothing guarding her from entering the forest this time. Every time she tried to come alone, something prevented her from entering. So why could she enter now with Alto? Or was it all a coincidence?

The forest was still, but Robinpaw could faintly smell a vole. It hadn't been around recently, but where one is, there is more.

"Are you sure we should be in here?" Alto nervously asked. He hadn't moved from the edge of the clearing that turned into the woods.

"Yes, it's fine." Robinpaw snorted impatiently. She trotted ahead, and Alto eventually gave in and followed the apprentice.

"I smell a vole." Alto whispered. He scanned the area, deeper and deeper into the forest, trying to get a stronger scent. Alto was obviously not accustomed to the difference between hunting in a clearing and a forest. He stepped heavily on the dead leaves, unaware that the crunch noise would easily alert the prey.

"Shhhh," she hissed at him, and Alto tried to step softer, but there was little difference between his first attempt.

"I'm still a little rusty," Alto admitted. _Rusty? How could he be rusty at something he's never really done? It was only yesterday he tasted mouse!_

Robinpaw didn't bother to ask. It wasn't of importance. Realizing she had been acting quite brusque towards the Alto, Robinpaw unstiffened a bit, though every crunch she heard from his steps made her cringe. "Try stepping on just your toes, and sheathe your claws. You don't need them yet." It helped significantly, but the only prey he caught would have to be mouse-brained to not hear him lumbering through the woods.

Robinpaw decided to spread some distance between her and the inexperienced housecat. Just because _he _couldn't catch anything didn't mean _she_ had to go home empty pawed. She walked the opposite direction, and as she became more and more surrounded by the vegetation of the forest, she tuned out all of her other thoughts. As silent as night, she dropped into a low crouch, listening for any nearby stirring. Nothing. She allowed herself to crawl forward, until she whiffed the scent of shrew.

Her ears pricked, until she finally sensed the scampering of a shrew. It was small, mostly bones, and a thin layer of skin. It didn't look like it would satisfy a growing cat's hunger. Still, she was intent on catching it. She crawled forward, until she was a tail length away from it. The calico she-cat leaped forward, but to her dismay, over shot her landing. With a heavy thud, she her forepaws landed several mouse length too far from her target. With a high pitched squeak, the shrew dashed away into a small hole in the earth. Robinpaw gripped the grass under her in agitation. How could she have been so mouse brained? She hated herself even more. The apprentice lashed her tail, harshly, falling back into an angry mood.

"Why can't I even catch a puny shrew?" She thought to herself furiously. With several quick steps she caught another scent of prey. This time it was no doubt a mouse. Robinpaw moved into a hunting crouch, and waited. She had to catch this mouse. She didn't know why-she just had too. The mouse was sniffing a couple of berries that had fallen to the ground. She watched it, calculating the perfect time to strike. The mouse was directly in front of her, however the only thing that prevented the rodent from seeing his attacker was a thick bush between them.

The mouse sniffed a deep red berry, and began nibbling on it with its long front teeth. Robinpaw took a step closer. She was barely hidden by the shrub so her next move forward would have to be an attack.

"One," Robinpaw tensed her muscles, mentally counting down until her attack. She was going to make sure that this time she got her target perfectly. "Two," The mouse's ears pricked, and Robinpaw thought it had heard her from the bush. After a minute of holding her breath, the mouse relaxed and continued eating his berry. Robinpaw started her count over again, just to be on the safe side. Finally, she reached three. With a much-needed yowl of fury, Robinpaw shot out from her crouch. She used her forepaw to block any escape and quickly killed it with a sharp bite, all without even taking her eyes off her prey. The mouse didn't even have time to squeal.

Proudly, Robinpaw ripped open her prey, glad to have some real food to eat. Eating Twolegs' dry pellets was bringing Robinpaw to her last nerve. She felt as if they simply sat in her stomach all day. At first, she felt bad about eating without Alto, but as the inviting scents of the fresh-kill filled her nose, she decided against it_. _

_Eat slower_, she told herself but nevertheless, the prey was gone in several heartbeats. She crunched on the bones for a little bit, trying to get every taste of the savory food. The meal lifted her up a bit, so after she buried the remains and gave herself a quick lick, she gazed up at the sky.

It was late afternoon, so the sun was just beginning to voyage back down. The sky was a pretty light blue, a soft powder color that Robinpaw couldn't forget. The way the sun's rays fanned out, giving a subtle light yellowish tint made the sky look even more beautiful. A few wisps of clouds hung in the sky, seeming almost out of place in the immense blue atmosphere. She liked it though. Something about it seemed….perfect. Robinpaw had never seen something so perfect.

Just then, the sound of pawsteps entered Robinpaw's ears. She was surprised Alto caught something so fast with the noise he was making earlier. But as she listened closer, she realized they were fast, frantic steps, coming closer and closer.

Robinpaw didn't dare move, but she listened intently as the sounds became louder, filling Robinpaw with dread.

"Robinpaw!" Alto's voice called out. It was cracked and coarse. Ahead of her, the trees parted and she was relieved to see Alto appear.

She was just about to let her hackles drop when two ShadowClan cats padded out right behind him.


	14. Chapter 12

****Yayay thanks for the views you guys! Like I said before it may take a while for me to post between chapters during school but I will try my best. Okay enough of this here is Chapter 12! =) **

**Chapter 12**

"What have we here? Two kittypets in the forest?" One of the warriors snarled. His golden pelt revealed his muscles rippling in the streaming sunlight. He circled us impatiently, his lips drawn in a snarl. It never occurred to Robinpaw that cats from other clans might not recognize her. She probably smelt like a housecat to them. Besides, she had never been to a Gathering, so how would they know she even existed? Still, she figured she would rather them think she was a kittypet then a ThunderClan cat who was living with housecats.

The second ShadowClan cat, a dark grey tom, growled at the intruders and the two ShadowClan surrounded Alto and Robinpaw. Robinpaw growled back, pushing away the fear. She had enough sense to know that showing any bit of fear would result in death. She unsheathed her claws and readied herself for attack. Robinpaw did not plan to attack, because she knew the odds were not in her favor, but she still wanted to show them she wasn't afraid.

Much to Robinpaw's surprise, Alto was already in a defensive stance. His ears were flat and his eyes were filled with determination and fiery aggression. That sent shivers down her spine-she had never seen him like this. Before the ShadowClan, warriors noticed how startled that made her she flicked her attention back to them.

"And one of them smells like they've eaten recently," The grey tom spat, eyeing me. I didn't cringe at his words, but inside I was melting.

"Kittypets are all the same-they think they can take what's not theirs. They are Twolegs' toys, no good scraps of crowfood." The other tom growled. He lunged at Alto, snapping his razor sharp teeth at him. Alto jumped away, barely missing a puncture in his neck.

"Shadyclaw, I gave you no order to attack." The grey tom hissed. Shadyclaw drew back but continued to give us a hostile glower.

Robinpaw finally spoke, trying to keep her composure. "We mean no harm; please just let us pass in peace."

Shadyclaw snorted, "You think you can trespass into our territory, take our prey, and except to get away with it?" He was about to lunge again, but the senior warrior's warning growl stopped him. Shadyclaw's eyes flashed in agitation, but said nothing.

"ShadowClan has no room for food to be lost to kittypets." The senior warrior spoke warily.

Robinpaw dipped her head in shame. She knew he was right, she probably deserved to be ripped apart by their claws.

"I'm sorry. We both are." She whispered solemnly.

"Sorry doesn't feed empty-bellies," Shadyclaw spat, "Volefur," he looked at his clan mate, "You're not going to let them go? They have stolen from us,"

Volefur didn't answer, but studied Robinpaw closer. He paced closer to her and sniffed her closely.

"You smell of a kittypet." He observed, "But you have the faint smell of ThunderClan. Are you a ThunderClan warrior?"

"Yes, I am. I ran away and was staying with some kittypets." Robinpaw felt her face burn at the embarrassment.

Shadyclaw didn't hide his amusement. "You left ThunderClan to become a soft-bellied kittypet? ThunderClan is getting worse every Moon. First a mangy kittypet was made leader, and now warriors are too scaredy-moused for clan life."

Robinpaw tried to protest, "No, no it wasn't like that, I…"

But they didn't listen. "Volefur, I think Pinestar will be very pleased to have a used-to-be ThunderClan cat and a kittypet as prisoner."

Shadyclaw padded closer to Robinpaw and Alto so they were hardly a whisker away. He hissed icily, so only they could hear, "Try to run away and I'll shred you to mouse-dust and turn you into crowfood not even the lowest rogue would eat."

Robinpaw felt a shiver run up and down her spine at his cold words but Alto stared back at him unwaveringly. Without warning, Shadyclaw scratched Robinpaw hard against her forepaw. She let out a yowl of pain, but quickly quieted herself-ShadowClan would not see a ThunderClan cat cry out in pain. Blood oozed out, dripping onto the earth.

"Let's go," Volefur commanded, starting to walk towards the camp. Shadyclaw lagged behind Alto and Robinpaw to eliminate any chance of escape. The blood continued to trickle out of her deep scratch, but Robinpaw grit her teeth, focusing on walking without limping. Her eyes were glazed with pain; however, she refused to look weak.

Alto gave Robinpaw a quick glance, asking if she was all right. Robinpaw slightly nodded her head. The dappled she-cat could barely keep up with their fast pace, and every so often she would fall back a little. Shadyclaw would shove her forward forcefully. Once, Robinpaw landed awkwardly on her back leg, reanimating the pain in her leg from the dog attack. Between her leg and her front paw, every step was agony to Robinpaw.

It didn't take long before they reached the other side of the piney forest, and the thick lush trees turned into a more barren, land. The ground barren and cracked with dryness but cool on their paws. Except for the occasional shrub, the land was empty.

After a while of seemingly endless walking, Robinpaw saw the camp in the distance. It looked just like she had imagined, except smaller. She had always thought that with all the talk of ShadowClan's ruthlessness and power, they would have a larger camp. The entire camp, fortified by pine needles, had only a single entrance. Even in the camp, she couldn't see any grass.

At last, the group of cats entered the camp. Very quickly, cats noticed the two new scents. Some looked on curiously. Others gave dirty looks. Robinpaw tried to block them out, and instead absorbed the camp's activity. To the very right of the entrance was the warrior's den, which was under a large shady bramble bush. A few cats who looked like senior warriors were sitting outside of it mewing to each other casually. At the edge of the clearing was a large boulder that was likely where the leader spoke to the clan in meetings. Just next to that rock was another large rock, which Robinpaw concluded was the Nursery when a she-cat swollen with kits stepped out. The Shadow-clan Queen stared at Robinpaw wide-eyed.

"Pinestar," Shadyclaw called to his leader, who was busily talking to some of his senior warriors by his den. Robinpaw's attention returned to her current situation. Pinestar, a large brown tom, looked in the direction of the voice and saw the two prisoners. He paced towards them. The senior warriors followed him curiously.

"Who's this?" He asked gruffly, looking Alto and Robinpaw over.

"Two intruders we found in our territory. The she-cat stole prey from us." The dark grey warrior answered.

Pinestar looked Robinpaw in the eye. "What's your name?"

"Robinpaw,"

Pinestar's eyes widened slightly, "You have an apprentice's name, yet you smell like a kittypet. Do you care to explain yourself?"

Robinpaw gulped nervously. She could feel dozens of eyes boring into her right now. "I am a ThunderClan apprentice. I-I ran away and somehow ended up in Twolegs territory. I stayed there for a little and then Alto," she flicked her tail at Alto when she mentioned his name, "and I came here to hunt. I know we shouldn't have, but I missed the clans. I missed eating juicy prey right after catching it instead of dry kibbles that sit in your stomach. Every time I had tried to return to ThunderClan alone, something had blocked the forest and I couldn't return." Robinpaw dropped to the ground, in shame. "I will repay you double for the prey I have taken from your clan. I promise."

A few moments of silence passed. Pinestar's jaw clenched at the sincere apology that had just come from this apprentice. He didn't say anything for a while. He looked down at Robinpaw and noticed her paw was blood red.

"Get her to the Medicine Cat's Den so Browntail can see to her wound. Darkfoot stand guard of the kittypet. Volefur, Wetfur, and Ashtail, send word to ThunderClan that one of their own is here. Tell them to come and retrieve her." Before anyone could object, Pinestar disappeared into his den.


	15. Chapter 13

****This is definitely my favorite chapter so far, Alto is kind of boss here! Okay here it is sorry I haven't posted in a while (I had exams last week gaah) Okay here it is!****

**Chapter 13**

The medicine cat's den was constructed primarily of pine needles. It was much smaller than the ThunderClan den but in the back, where the herbs were neatly sorted, Robinpaw saw a larger abundance of remedies. Browntail, the elder medicine cat, scurried around the den, locating the correct herbs while quietly murmuring to himself.

"Let's see, what happened _here_?" He mewed to her once he returned to the pine nest where she was resting. The bundles of herbs he was carrying muffled his voice. Robinpaw admired his voice; it was soft, reassuring, and steady. It was no wonder he was a medicine cat. It showed a clear glimpse of his character.

"I-I scratched it really bad against a thorn bush. It was bleeding real bad before we got here, so it's not too bad now." Robinpaw quickly lied. She didn't want to tell Browntail that a cat from his own clan did that to her.

Browntail glanced at her quizzically, wondering how a thorn bush could make such a deep puncture but the sincere looking expression on her face made him buy the lie. Robinpaw wasn't sure whether to be relieved that he believed her story or terrified that it was becoming easier and easier to lie.

The chestnut medicine cat dropped his supplies down and pressed a bundle of cobwebs onto Robinpaw's wound. The young apprentice winced slightly, but managed to hold down the pain.

"Cobweb will stop the bleeding," Browntail explained as if Robinpaw didn't know. "It doesn't look like there's any infection, but I'll make something for that just in case. Try not to move it too much-you need to give it time to heal." He pressed the cobweb down once more and let it sit for a little bit.

The two cats talked for a bit while Browntail worked, however Robinpaw didn't pay much attention to it. She was to preoccupied thinking about Alto, hoping he was okay. He must be terrified out of his mind. Would ShadowClan cats hurt a kittypet? She wasn't sure if they would spare a kittypet's life, seeing housecats don't follow the Warrior Code. She kept her ears pricked.

Browntail padded into the storage and brought out a few other herbs. He began to chew them up into a green liquid. Robinpaw watched him work with fascination. She recognized one of the herbs a greenish looking stalk, but she couldn't recall the name of it.

Browntail silently worked on his concoction, his tail curled in concentration. As far as Robinpaw could tell, the only move he made beside his jaw was his ears, which twitched slightly.

Finally, the herbs had been liquefied. Browntail gently rubbed them onto her wound. As soon as it contacted Robinpaw's wound, she let out a slight gasp of surprise.

Browntail purred sympathetically. "I know it stings a lot, but it will keep out infection." His eyes glistened with kindness. Robinpaw stilled herself and prepared herself for the sting. _This time she would be ready_, she thought firmly.

"Thank you, Browntail," Robinpaw dipped her head respectfully when he had finished.

"No need to thank me," Browntail replied as he cleaned-up his workspace. The medicine cat swept up the herbs into a bundle with his tail and carried his leftover herbs back to storage. Over his shoulder, he called, "Also, Your paw might hurt a bit, but I don't want you eating any poppy seed when you go back to ThunderClan, understand? The pain will help Mossfur determine how it is healing."

"I understand, but somehow I don't think I'll be going back to ThunderClan anytime soon." She sighed. Robinpaw slowly got up and helped the ShadowClan cat put up his herbs.

"Why is that?"

"After all the trouble I caused, and the fact that I broke the Warrior Code to many times to count, I don't think they want me around. I have given ThunderClan a bad name- a clan full of scaredy-mouse, soft-bellied kitty cats. How am I ever going to face them again?" She sighed heavily.

Browntail put the last bit of horsetail in its place and whipped around facing Robinpaw. His eyes were wide with seriousness.

"If ThunderClan is the same respectable clan I know, they will let you in with open paws. Whatever you did, I have no lower respect for you. You seem like a loyal, brave cat, so don't think any lower of yourself either." He spoke with a sudden sharpness that shocked Robinpaw. "Do not forget this, young Robinpaw, StarClan has a plan for you, every step of this plan is for something, though it might be too great for you to understand now."

He studied Robinpaw's face for a minute then snapped back to the present. "Now," he continued, his usual soft voice returning, "Would you mind helping me sort these traveling herbs?"

More than him actually needing help, Robinpaw could tell he was trying to take her mind off it. "What do you need me to do?"

While they sorted the herbs into bundles, the two cats chatted about different things. Robinpaw learned of some of the different herbs and their uses, and Browntail praised her on how quickly she learned.

"You would make a wonderful medicine cat, young one." He commented, before adding another remark to himself, "I probably should get an apprentice." He looked at paws, cracked with age. "I guess I'm afraid I wouldn't be a good enough teacher, and having an apprentice would remind me that my days are numbered."

You would make a great teacher, and StarClan will give you an apprentice who is dedicated to serving her clan and learning how to connect to StarClan. They won't let ShadowClan go without a Medicine Cat, trust me."

It felt weird to talk about StarClan this way when she had stopped trusting in them. Still, she knew that was what Browntail needed to hear. He flicked his tail thoughtfully, before thanking the ThunderClan apprentice.

Suddenly, a pained yowl ripped through the air. Before even glancing at Browntail, Robinpaw shot out of the den.

"Alto!" She called breathlessly. "Alto!"

"_What were they doing to him?" _She thought frantically. She dashed through the clearing to the leaders den, where she had last seen him. He was not there. Robinpaw's fear made a picture of Alto being torn apart by several ShadowClan warriors play through her mind.

Another scream rippled through the thin air, "Nooo!" It was cut off abruptly, but it had the full affect. Multitudes of cats came out from dens, hoping for someone to tell them that they were only imagining it. Some noticed Robinpaw, running like a mad fox.

The second scream shook Robinpaw's senses. She was whisked back nearly a moon ago where a strange scream had taken over her mind. The same dizziness that had controlled her once crept onto her, but Robinpaw managed to push it away slightly, her head felt heavy, but she was still in control of herself.

Was this scream in her head too? Robinpaw wasn't sure. She staggered nearer to the warrior's den and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Alto.

However, it wasn't at all as she had thought it would be like. Alto stood on Shadyclaw's belly, who was furiously trying to get back on his paws. A group of ShadowClan cats watched wide-eyed as their own warrior battled a kittypet.

She realized it wasn't Alto who screamed, but the ShadowClan warrior.

It didn't take long, since Alto was considerably smaller than the ShadowClan warrior was. Shadyclaw flipped him off, but Alto landed lightly on his feet. His ear was torn and bleeding, and he had massive scratch crisscrossing across his side. The blood blended into his matted coat, a deep crimson color that looked like sun-dried mud.

Alto growled menacingly in a defensive stance. His sharp teeth showed through his curled lips. Shadyclaw barreled towards him and yowled in fury. Alto sprang at him too when he realized Shadyclaw was attacking again. He scratched his claws against the warrior's neck and managed to knock him down. Shadyclaw bounced back up, a little slowly, and tried to think of a better way to attack. His own blood dripped down a bite on his belly and a scratch on his eye. Yet he wouldn't be beaten by a kittypet.

Robinpaw was surprised at how much of a fight Alto put up. He fought like a true warrior.

"What a stupid piece of crowfood you are." He spat, seething with anger.

Alto said nothing but kept his haunches raised.

"You are nothing but a Twolegs toy that deserves to die a thousand times." He gave a high-pitched yowl before springing onto Alto. "It will be easy to kill you, ripping you apart so achingly slow, death will not come easy for you, no, nothing so blissful as a quick, painless death. " Alto didn't speak for a long while. He studied his attackers face, calmly, as if he had forgotten he had been attacked. The entire clan was silent. All eyes were on the kittypet.

Finally, Alto spoke. "Do you not remember me, brother? I am Sunstrike, lost warrior of ShadowClan."


	16. Chapter 14

**Chapter 13**

_ Did I hear that right_?

Robinpaw shook her head, thinking it was her mind playing tricks on her again. Murmurs stirred through the clan, and Robinpaw realized what she heard was real.

Shadyclaw stared back at Alto in disbelief. He loosened his grip and let the kittypet get up but did not lower his haunches. He blinked a few times, not quite sure how to respond. Alto stared back at him, though he no longer posed a threat. He sat calmly on his haunches, looking at his brother without flinching.

"I don't believe you." The words came out of the golden warrior in a small croak. He sheathed his claws.

Alto padded closer to them until he was only a few whiskers away from him. "Our mother was Willowshade. Surely, you remember us as kin? Is our mother here?"

"No-no. You can't be Sunstrike!" He gasped. Shadyclaw cleared his throat and composed himself again. Quietly, he added, "But It doesn't matter; Willowshade died many moons ago." Alto choked in grief. His eyes grew shiny-he was trying to keep from tearing up.

"I never got to see my mother grow old," He whispered looking up at Silverpelt, "I have been through so much pain, so why can't you remember me, brother?"

A new voice spoke up. "I remember you, Sunstrike." It was Browntail. He walked through the crowd and faced Alto. He lightly touched noses to him. Browntail quickly glanced at Robinpaw, who was still staring in shock. His eyes were full of pain and forgotten memories.

Shadyclaw growled at the Medicine Cat, "I had a brother, and he was not a kittypet! You are not Sunstrike," Shadyclaw snarled. He trembled slightly at mentioning his brother's name. It had been ages since he had last spoken it.

Alto began explaining,

"I was a ShadowClan Warrior alongside you. I slept in the pine nests with you." He broke off for a moment, as the painful memories were unraveled from his heart for the first time. "Then on a hunting mission, I had caught a she-cat in ShadowClan territory. I could tell she meant no harm, and I began to grow fond of her. Her name was Charlotte, and she was a beautiful calico cat. Eventually I realized my love for her was stronger than my loyalty to the clan. I was not meant to be a Warrior. StarClan had a different calling for me. I ran away from the clan to be with her. That was many moons ago."

Shadyclaw growled in anger, "If you are my brother how are you alive? After you ran away like a scaredy-mouse, we sent a patrol after you and that she-cat for blood. Ashtail told Pinestar he had killed you."

Yowls of shock rippled through the crowd of cats. However, Alto steadily answered, "You only injured me, Ashtail. But I still had the strength of a warrior. Even after you killed my mate. The only thing in the world I truly loved was gone."

Ashtail called out from the crowd, "I may have scratched you, but I never lay a paw on your kittypet."

"Then who killed her?" Another cat in the crowd yowled, followed by the murmuring of the other cats.

Robinpaw padded up to Alto, who looked like he was about to break into tears. She started to ask Alto why he didn't tell her this earlier, but he cut her off:

"I have another confession too, I have to tell you. I knew it since I first saw you." He told Robinpaw. He switched into a louder voice so all the cats could hear:

"When you sent a patrol after us, Ashtail attacked me and knocked me unconscious. My mate, Charlotte, ran into the woods, being chased by another warrior. She was holding a kit in her mouth, our kit. We had two, but the other was already given to other Twolegs. When I regained consciousness, I traveled into the woods, looking for Charlotte. I finally found her, crudely buried under some dirt."

He swallowed hard before continuing. "I never found that kit, I didn't know if she was killed or died in the woods or living somewhere. B-but when this cat-" he flicked his tail at Robinpaw. "came to Twolegs territory, she looked exactly like my Charlotte. I had no doubt that you were my lost kit." He paused, letting her take it all in.

"Robinpaw, I am your father."

The world stood deathly still. No cat mewed a word. Robinpaw prayed that she was dreaming, or her mind was making it up. But she knew she wasn't.

"What?" She cried in shock. "No-no it can't be!"

"You look exactly like her. It took all of my strength to keep from calling you Charlotte. I-I thought you were dead, all this time. But when I saw you, I knew it was you. StarClan kept you safe all this time." He glowed. Alto smiled weakly, half mourning the fresh memories and also overjoyed to reveal the truth.

Robinpaw had so much to say, but for some reason her mouth stayed shut.

Shadyclaw used this silence to speak to Alto. "All this time, we had tried to forget you. You brought shame to ShadowClan. You were a spineless cat, I am sorry to say that you were my kin. You deserved to die, thinking you could just leave your clan like that. If it were me who found you, I would have made certain you were dead. I would never How could you betray our clan, break the warrior code, and for a kittypet, and all to have it taken away from you. "

Shadyclaw turned his attention to Robinpaw, his expression unreadable. "At any rate, If what he says is true, then you are the kit your mother was carrying. Yes, I remember that night well. I chased her into the woods, and it wasn't too difficult to kill her." His gaze faltered a bit, clouded with other thoughts. "The foolish cat accidentally admitted that her kit was in the woods. I killed that mangy kittypet, and I swore I would kill you too." Then with an evil laugh, he added, "And I never break promises."

****Sorry if this chapter was somewhat weirdly written or hard to understand. Please let me know if there is anything I could do to fix it. But other than that, I like where it's going so hopefully you do too! Tell me what you think! ****


	17. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Shadyclaw leaped at Robinpaw furiously, and connected his teeth to her neck. Robinpaw kicked frantically, and a wave of panic swept over here when she realized she was trapped. He was too big to be rolled over, and too experienced to be tricked. A pain cry sounded throughout the camp. Some stood in shock, too frozen in fear to do anything. Others watched, slightly amused at this display.

"Mrrrow!" Robinpaw screamed in pain, as his fangs plunged deeper and deeper into her neck. She twisted her neck, and managed to get a mouthful of his fur. She yanked hard, hoping the pain would be enough to make him let go of her. It was to no avail. Robinpaw went limp, her eyes rolled back into her head.

"Robinpaw!" Alto yelped. He dived into the mess of gold, white, orange, and black fur. He snapped at Shadyclaw's muzzle, drawing a large quantity of blood. The enraged warrior threw the young she-cat aside like a ragdoll and growled at his attacker.

Despite Alto being his kin, his eyes were hungry for blood. He charged, without a strategy in mind. Alto managed to dodge him easily and pounced on his back. He was about to rake his claws over Shadyclaw's back when he stopped. He leaped off, and panting heavily, he said, "I have no quarrel with you, brother. Please, just let me take her back home, she could die without any medical care."

The golden warrior wiped away some of the blood from the wound on his muzzle. He studied the fresh blood on his paw for a minute. Quietly, he murmured, "You don't know what you did to me when you left. You were a great warrior, Sunstrike. You would have made ShadowClan great again. And then, and then, you threw it all away for some kittypet. You had no respect for the Warrior Code our whole lives are built upon. You were the weak link in the clan. I swore I would kill her, and if it means I kill you too, then so be it." He lunged again, but Pinestar, who had made his way through the crowd, stopped him.

"No more blood will be shed tonight." He mewed firmly. "I understand your loyalty to the Warrior Code, Shadyclaw, and StarClan honors you for that. But Alto has chosen his path, and it lies outside of the forest. We were wrong to try to stop you the first time. "He dipped his head in remorse. "We grant you safe passage, Alto, when you decide to return to your true home. We tried to forget the past, although StarClan has shown us the past is not meant to be forgotten.

Alto thanked him with a grateful blink before turning his attention to Robinpaw, who was barely conscious, slumped on the ground.

"Robinpaw? Robinpaw, please wake up," He wailed, frenziedly licking the blood away from her wound.

Robinpaw slightly opened her eye and tried to get up, though none of her muscles would respond. Browntail sprinted next to her and examined her.

"Someone, fetch my cobweb!" He called, and a pretty brown and white she-cat dashed towards his den in compliance.

"Wh-" Robinpaw tried to mew something, but she did not have the strength. Her mind spun in her head, half-unsure of what she had just witnessed, and half consumed by the pain that pulsed through her body.

The she-cat quickly returned with a mouthful of cobweb- much to Shadyclaw's anger.

"Nooo!" He roared, barreling towards the she-cat and knocking her away easily with his brute strength. A wave of gasps escaped the onlookers, and the clan broke into more tension. The cats pressed forward. Some cast mewls of approval, siding with Shadyclaw and eager to see the death of a ThunderClan cat. Others growled indignantly, and tried to hinder the blood-crazed warrior from killing Robinpaw.

"Kill her, kill her now!" One cat called, followed by a crescendo of others.

"Stop, this is not as StarClan wills!" argued another.

"Kittypet blood should not dwell in these forests!"

"No more blood should be spilled!"

"One less soft-bellied ThunderClan Cat!"

"The Warrior Code must prevail!"

"Show no mercy!"

Alto stood over Robinpaw protectively, his back arched in threat. Only his eyes revealed the real fear he felt. Shadyclaw drew closer, and prepared for attack. Several cats tried to stop him, but determination moved him forward.

"Robinpaw, get up!" Alto pleaded under his breath. The wounded cat didn't respond. The ginger warrior was close now, and Alto could just feel the smugness drift off him.

Just then, the same she-cat who brought the cobweb catapulted herself onto Shadyclaw, just before he was about to pounce. Despite his best attempts to shake the lithe cat off, she remained attached.

Two ShadowClan cats used this opportunity to help Robinpaw and Alto escape.

A mostly grey tom began lifting Robinpaw onto his back. A silver tom helped him, and mewed hurriedly to Alto, "Come on, this place is no longer safe for you. We will take you back to ThunderClan." Alto didn't even have time to respond.

They all just sprinted towards the camps entrance as if life depended on it.

Once the four cats reached the outside of the camp, Alto managed to muster out thanks.

"Thank you, both of you. I-I don't know how we can repay you for your kindness." He panted.

Since the grey tom was carrying Robinpaw, the silvery cat did. "When ShadowClan needs a paw, you can help us as we have helped you." He said it with a dismissive tone, as if what they were doing for them was no big deal. They padded onwards for a while, until the grey tom grew tired after carrying Robinpaw. The silvery cat took over the burden of carrying her. Every so often, they switched, but they took great care during the process, in fear of disturbing Robinpaw.

Robinpaw was vaguely aware of what was going on. She heard their voices as they talked, but they sounded muffled and distanced to her.

"Is what you said back there true?" The silver cat asked Alto quietly.

"Yes. It is."

The darker gray cat mewed, "Sunstrike, we have missed you. It's been a little less than a full season, since you left us." He ducked his head.

"When you left, Pinestar had told us to never mention your name again. A warrior leaving the clans for a kittypet life would be a shame to the ShadowClan name. We tried to forget you, a-and we almost did, I'm sorry to say. When I saw you, I could not believe it was you. It would have been easier to believe you were just another kittypet."

"I do, Littlecloud." Alto mewed solemnly. Littlecloud gazed up at Alto, glad his old friend still remembered him. Alto stretched his neck to the silver tom, who was walking slightly ahead of them with Robinpaw. "And Silvercreek, I'm happy to see you."

Just as they neared the edge of the Thunderpath, the outline of six cats appeared in the distance.

"Littlecloud? Silvercreek? What are you doing here with the kittypet and the other prisoner?"

The unfamiliar voice struck Robinpaw, and she tried to get up, but her limbs wouldn't move.

"Oh dear," Alto breathed and tried to calm his daughter down. The six cats padded closer. Volefur, Ashtail, and Wetfur, the cats selected to alert ThunderClan of their prisoners, were leading three ThunderClan cats towards their camp. The ThunderClan cats, Foxfur, Oakleaf, and Leapfoot stared wide-eyed at what they saw.

Littlecloud spoke with a sudden urgency. "There isn't much time; they weren't safe at ShadowClan anymore so we brought them here. Shadyclaw has gone mad, thirsty for their blood. Take them back to your camp. Robinpaw here needs medical attention fast. We can accompany you to your camp if you would like.

Ashtail shook his head. "That won't be necessary." He eyed the black and white kittypet distrustfully. "But what about him?"

Littlecloud exchanged glances with Alto before speaking. "Take him to your camp as well. He has much to tell ThunderClan."

****Not much of a chapter ending, but tell me what you think. Oh and a little spoiler, but something BIG is going to happen in ShadowClan! Try to guess what it is! =)) Okay see ya'll soon an thanks for all the support!****


	18. Chapter 16

****Thanks ****CandyBunnies ****reviewing and I am glad you like it. I'm not really sure how this chapter is going to go…I'm thinking I'll just wing it. Wish me luck ;)****

**Chapter 16**

To Robinpaw, ThunderClan seemed different. Maybe it was the lack of blood in her body, but whatever it was, she felt like the air had changed since she had last been there. _Could it have been a moon since she was last here? _It was hard to believe, but she watched the moon change with her very own eyes.

Oakleaf was the first to offer to carry her on his back, grief stricken at the near-death state of his apprentice. The strong scent of fear mingled with shock stuck onto his fur, wafting into Robinpaw's nose. She wanted to tell him everything, and hear her mentor's steady voice around her, but she found it too difficult to even breathe, let alone speak. Robinpaw managed to open one eye, and saw Alto padding closely next to his daughter. He stared back, his round eyes filled with concern. He mouthed something, but Robinpaw didn't catch it. She closed her eyes again and focused on the smooth strides of Oakleaf, who was carrying with such delicate care it felt as if he was a smooth wave carrying her through a stream.

"Should we walk a little faster?" Foxfur asked Oakleaf, nervously flitting his eyes from side to side. "If what they said is true, Shadyclaw could be hot on our heels."

But Oakleaf shook his head. "Walking any faster might disrupt Robinpaw's wounds. You all may go ahead if you would like." He continued his patient stride. None of the cats wanted to separate from the group, so they all continued the trek in silence. Despite Alto being very cooperative, the ThunderClan cats watched him closely, prepared to attack if he stepped out of line.

Leapfoot and Foxfur padded behind the kittypet, exchanging uncertain glances.

As they neared the familiar trees that hid the entrance to the camp, Oakleaf spoke quietly. "Littlecloud, go alert Mossfur to prepare her supplies for a cat with lots of blood loss." Littlecloud nodded, gave one last glare at the kittypet, and darted off. Alto didn't notice.

The bushes parted, slightly damp from the melted snow. The clearing was alive with cats, though most were staring at the entrance, waiting for the senior cats to return from their trip to ShadowClan. Firestar even sat near the entrance with a group of other warriors, prepared to attack ShadowClan if the three cats had not returned.

"Robinpaw!" A few cats called in disbelief, but for the most part the clan stayed silent. They mostly turned their attention to the kittypet. Alto shrank back slightly.

Mossfur, the medicine cat pushed her way through the crowd, not bothering for politeness. Whitepaw followed her with a bundle of supplies in his jaws.

"We don't have time to take her to the medicine cat's den if she is in the condition Littlecloud told me."

Oakleaf gently laid Robinpaw on the ground with Littlecloud's help, and gave his apprentice a gentle lick on the chest. "Be well, young Robinpaw. If you are the fighter I know you are, you will overcome this."

He turned to Mossfur, pain reflecting in his eyes. "I need to speak to Firestar, if I may?"

Mossfur dismissed him with the flick of her tail, consumed with her newest patient.

Whitepaw pressed a large paw full of cobweb onto Robinpaw's neck wound, and Mossfur inspected her body for any major wounds.

"She has a few scratches and bites, but her neck wound is the biggest. The most important thing is that she doesn't lose any more blood. I don't know how much blood she's lost, but from the looks of it, she's lost far too much. Thank StarClan, the bite didn't snap her spinal cord."

Mossfur stared at Robinpaw for a moment, lost in deep thought. Her eyes glinted with an unreadable emotion, until Whitepaw managed to bring her back into reality.

"Mossfur?" He pressed his nose into her soft fur.

She blinked a few times, disoriented. "Oh, sorry….I was just thinking." She trailed off, and finally snapped back into her old self.

"Switch that cobweb for some fresh ones, and I'll put some webbing on her other wounds after I put some herbs to prevent infection." She ordered.

* * *

Robinpaw woke up.

She was stiff everywhere, and she couldn't move an inch without an intense pressure electrifying her. The medicine cats den's walls surrounded her now, so she wondered how much time had passed since she first arrive in camp. Instead of cobweb, a large leaf Robinpaw couldn't identify was there, probably to prevent infection.

The sun faintly glimmered through the wall's cracks trickling in like refreshing water. It cast a long shadow in the den, and Robinpaw studied it for a while, remembering how much the curved shadow used to fascinate her as a kit.

Whitepaw was on the other side of the den, facing away from Robinpaw and counting the inventory of herbs. Mossfur wasn't in the den.

"Whitepaw," she croaked, her voice cracking in thirst.

The medicine cat apprentice whipped around. "Robinpaw," he breathed in disbelief. "You made it. Y-you're alive." He flattened his ears in embarrassment at the way it came out but his eyes shined with joy. He pranced next to her, checking her wounds and telling her over and over how much they all missed her.

"Do you feel any better?" He asked.

"Water would be nice, please."

Whitepaw quickly brought her a water soaked moss, which Robinpaw drank gratefully.

"I missed you." Robinpaw whispered.

"I missed you too, Robinpaw." He answered, touching his nose against hers.

"You've managed through the night, which was the biggest leap for you. You're going to pull through, only it will take quite a bit a rest." The black and white tom paused for a moment, before moving on to a different subject. "What happened to you? Where did you go? Icepaw and Fernpaw only told us you went missing. They wouldn't let Whiskerpaw tell what happened."

"I really don't want to talk about that now." She flicked her tail. "Besides, I'm probably going to have to explain what happened to the entire clan." She groaned and slunk back into a curled up ball. "I can't be a clan cat anymore. After what I've done, I've brought trouble to the clans. It'll be best if I become a loner or a rogue."

Whitepaw purred, and laid down next to Robinpaw. She shivered slightly, feeling his soft, warm breath on her fur. "You worry too much, Robinpaw. ThunderClan will not hold any of it against you. It wasn't' t your fault, I'm sure of it. Everything that happens is according to StarClan's will. You'll see."

Robinpaw blinked gratefully, and then ruefully added, "I'd like to believe that, Whitepaw. However, sometimes I just don't think StarClan is there. I-I think I'm just losing faith in them. I tried to talk to them, and ask them for a sign, but they never answer. How can I go on believing in them when they ignore me?" She looked at her friend, expecting a look of disgust on his face. Instead, his eyes still glowed brightly.

Whitepaw mewed, "StarClan isn't very straightforward, are they? No, sometimes they will speak to you when you least expect it. They may not even speak to you at all. Before I visited the Moonstone I had never heard from them. But how did I know they existed before that. Through faith. Faith is the only thing that is worth holding on to. Remember that, Robinpaw."

"Where did you get so smart?"

He shrugged, "I'm a medicine cat in training; it's my job."

The both of them purred in amusement, and curled together into a warm heap. Their eyelids were growing heavy just when Mossfur walked in. Immediately Whitepaw leaped up and away from Robinpaw, but all too late.

Mossfur stared at the two cats in silence for a moment, leaving Robinpaw to wallow in her own guilt for ages. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, and she was sure the medicine cat could feel her own fear. Mossfur didn't speak for a long while, trying to figure out what to say.

"Whitepaw," She finally croaked, "Would you go see to the elders, Reedwhisker has been complaining of an ache in her back."

****Hmmm. Not bad for 'winging' it. Ha-ha Okay how many of you all like WhitexRobin? Just curious… =) ****


	19. Chapter 17

****Thank you thank you thank you to the following reviewer people-à****WildCroconaw**** and ****draconic skysong, ****you guys are awesome. Okay it's been a reeeeaaally long time so you may need to refresh yourself on what happened. Let's see…where was I….oh yeah! Ok Robinpaw just got busted by Mossfur (loved that comment ****WildCroonaw****)….so here's 17!****

**Chapter 17**

Whitepaw crept out of the den with his tail tucked under his legs. Robinpaw gulped, and mentally prepared herself to be chewed out by Mossfur.

To her surprise, Mossfur didn't say anything at all. She checked Robinpaw's wounds and switched out the leaves with fresh ones. Then she ducked into the back of the den, busily recounting herbs and tying up bundles of common staples.

"Mossfur," Robinpaw barely managed to whisper, but Mossfur didn't hear-or just ignored her. In a louder voice, she called her name again. Finally the medicine cat looked up.

"How are you feeling Robinpaw?" Mossfur asked almost too cordially. She didn't even let Robinpaw say what she was going to say.

"I-I'm fine, I guess…but," Robinpaw started.

"Are you able to walk?"

"Passably…but,"

Mossfur cut her off again, and, with a flash of emotion in her eyes, mewed, "If you are feeling better, then Firestar has asked me to send you to his den. He wants to talk to you and get this sorted out as soon as possible."

Mossfur briskly away, clearly indicating Robinpaw was to leave immediately. Robinpaw didn't think much about the obvious hostility in Mossfur towards her; she would have to get over it eventually, and besides-Robinpaw had bigger issues on her mind.

_Would ThunderClan even let me stay here after what I've done?_

Outside the den was brighter than Robinpaw expected with not a single cloud in the sky. For the most part, the clearing was empty, besides a pawful of cats chatting amongst themselves. None of them paid much attention to Robinpaw, to her relief.

In the corner of her eye, she saw Alto, mewing happily with one of the elders. She relaxed a bit, knowing that at least Alto was safe. _Or should I be calling him Sunstrike? Or father? _It still shocked her, that a kittypet could be her father.

"No, he's not a kittypet, he's a ShadowClan cat by blood." She thought firmly, "My mother on the other hand was a housecat." A pang of sorrow stabbed Robinpaw at the mention of her mother she never knew. "I'm not even a half ThunderClan cat," The realization hit her like the sting of a bee. "I'm a kittypet. A stupid ShadowClan, kittypet mix."

Robinpaw hung her head in shame.

She had never been in the leader's den only one other time. She had still been learning the ins and outs of the clan and had mistaken Firestar's den for the apprentice's den. No one had been there to see her blunder, but it did sweep a wave of embarrassment over her. In a way it did rumble a small amused purr in her throat, thinking about her young self.

_If only I still possessed that innocence, _she thought wistfully, just before entering Firestar's den.

Since the last time she had been there, the den had hardly changed. In the very back there was a big nest of moss and a few lilacs beaded through artistically. The sweet smell wafted up Robinpaw's nose and floated throughout the room. There was extra space, perfect for private meetings with the elders or senior warriors. To the left there was a small storage of medicine herbs, likely for times when the leaders health was in critical condition and couldn't delay treatment.

Firestar was speaking to Honeyfrost and Stripedfur when Robinpaw stepped in. All three of them turned their attention to the apprentice.

"I'm sorry, you two, but may I speak with Robinpaw in private?"

Honeyfrost dipped her head solemnly, "Of course," The two warriors padded out, exchanging puzzled glances.

When the two of them were alone, Firestar asked, "How are you feeling, Robinpaw? Do you feel all right?"

"I feel better," She answered.

A slight pause. Robinpaw shifted uncomfortably.

"We've all missed you very much, when you left, we had no idea whether you were dead or alive."

Robinpaw didn't say anything, though inside she knew that no one had thought much of her disappearance.

Firestar sighed, deciding to cut to the point. "When you disappeared, what happened to you? And what is that kittypet doing here? He seems like no threat, he gets along just nicely here, but why did you bring him here?"

The young she-cat didn't answer for a while. What was she supposed to say?

Finally she opened her mouth. She told him everything, from the hunt, the voice in her head, and the kittypets she had met. She told him about the dog attack, and every detail of their hunting. She told him how guilty she felt about the hunting. She told him how she had lost faith in StarClan. She told him about being captured by ShadowClan and the confessions from Alto.

She told him everything.

Firestar didn't say much, only an occasional question. His expression was a mixture of worry and skeptism, but other than that he gave away no emotion.

When Robinpaw finished explaining, Firestar didn't say anything at all.

Robinpaw dared to look Firestar straight in the eye, almost pleading him to say something. Finally, Firestar mewed, "I see you have done much in the past moon."

"I'm sorry," Robinpaw whispered.

"For what?"

This question shocked Robinpaw. What did he mean by that?

"For everything. I disobeyed the Warrior Code. I'm a soft kittypet. I don't deserve to live in the boundaries of the clans. I stole from the clan. I stole food that wasn't mine. I-I" She stuttered, trying to formulate the words in her mind. "I'm not even a ThunderClan cat. I'm a stupid kittypet with ShadowClan blood."

Firestar purred softly, then swiped a gentle paw over her ears comfortingly.

"You know what that tells me? It tells me you are a normal young cat. When I was your age, I had broken the warrior code numerous times. You are no different. And since when does blood define allegiance? Since you were a little kit, I knew that you were unremittingly loyal to your clan. Listen to me, Robinpaw. Cats will try to push you down, and disregard you because of your blood. Blood means nothing. If it meant something, I wouldn't be here right now. Blood is simply an excuse to refuse change. Cats like you an I have to stick together, otherwise its easy for those of 'pure blood' to push you off as worthless. You have to show them otherwise."

"But what about StarClan? It feels as though they've shut me out from contacting them. How can I believe in something I cannot see?"

"It's strange, the way StarClan works. Even the wisest medicine cat can fail to decipher the ways of StarClan. Sometimes they choose to be silent, because it is our destiny to figure it out solo. I can't tell you they are there, but I can tell you that not all things are for us to figure out. If they are there, they are keeping a steady paw over your life."

Robinpaw thanked him, though only half reassured. If StarClan was there, she would want to hear from them herself.

Now," Firestar mewed, "I do have a question for you. Do you want me to tell the clan what happened, or do you wish too?"

Robinpaw was hoping for there to be a third option, so reluctantly she decided to do it herself. "I want them to hear my story-not anyone else's."

****Not much in this one but let me tell you, trouble IS brewing in the clans. It will actually get pretty exciting!****


	20. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Standing on Highrock infused Robinpaw with a sense of power. Looking down on the clearing, she felt a sudden boost of confidence, despite the anxiety that clawed at her stomach. Was this how Firestar felt when he stood up here, except the fear?

Firestar stood next to her, gave her a quick reassuring glance before yowling in a loud voice, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highrock for a Clan meeting."

Cats trickled in from all corners of the camp. Some of the senior warriors, including Robinpaw's mentor Raincloud, had been sharing tongues near the fresh kill pile, and immediately joined under Highrock. The mentor and apprentices locked eyes for a moment. Raincloud's eyes reflected Robinpaw's own joy.

The calico apprentice broke the gaze, and searched the crowd for her friends. In the back of the group of cats she saw Icepaw, Fernpaw, and Whiskerpaw, and Whitepaw with Patchpelt and Honeyfrost sitting next to them. Whitepaw smiled up to Robinpaw shyly, with his ears perked slightly. The other apprentices stared at the lost apprentice with a mix of disbelief and elation.

Icepaw mouthed something to Robinpaw, which she didn't quite catch, but by her friend's expression she knew what she asked.

"I'll explain everything," Robinpaw mouthed back, and Icepaw nodded her head impatiently.

Alto slinked back, unsure of whether he should join the meeting as well.

Without asking for permission, Robinpaw called to him, "Come up here Alto-this involves you just as much as me."

Estatic, the old kittypet bounded up Highrock, and took his place next to his daughter. Firestar stepped back, so Robinpaw and Alto had complete control of the meeting.

Murmers broke loose through ThunderClan. What was a kittypet and an apprentice doing on Highrock?

"ThunderClan," Robinpaw slowly began, "I have missed you. All of you," It took everything in her to not flicker her attention to Whitepaw. "I'm not sure what you thought happened to me, but just listen to me, please."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Around a month ago, Icepaw, Fernpaw, Whiskerpaw, Foxfur, and I went to gather moss. You all probably heard that. While we were out, I began to feel dizzy.." She paused, as if another spell had returned over her, "I-I heard a voice, telling me to go. I did know what to do, so I just took off, anything to get rid of the voice and dizziness."

"I eventually ran into Twolegs territory, and met some kitt-I mean, house cats. Alto was one of them." She flicked her tail to the black and white tom. Alto flicked his ears in acknowledgement.

Robinpaw continued the story until she reached the part about ShadowClan. "Can you take over from here? I think you know what happened better than I do." Alto nodded and addressed the clan:

"When we entered the camp, they took Robinpaw to the medicine cats den, as she had received a number of wounds from the ShadowClan patrol. Darkfoot had been keeping watch of me, since I was technically a prisoner. We talked for a little, and I tried to defend the name of house cats. He eventually attacked me, and while we were fighting Robinpaw came to my rescue. When Darkfoot was about to kill me, I told him the truth. Do you remember me? Maybe not..but I was once a ShadowClan cat. I used to be called Sunstrike."

Many senior warriors and elders recognized the name.

"I remember that name, it seemed as though he dropped off the face of the earth." Ashclaw declared. Several murmurs of agreement followed.

Pebbletoe challenged Alto, "So what are you doing with a collar now?"

Alto met his cold challenge with an even gaze. "I fell in love." He simply mewed. "I met a housecat, Charlotte that meant more to me than the clans. So I left. I thought they would leave me to my choice in peace, but instead Darkfoot led a patrol to find me, to kill me and my mate. They knocked me out and thought I was dead, and sought to kill my mate, who had run away into the forest, with our kit in her jaws."

"Kit?" Echoed a cat in the crowd.

"Yes, we had a kit. Darkfoot killed my mate, but he couldn't find the kit. When I later returned to the woods to find my mate, I found her body, but I couldn't find our kit." He was on the verge of tears. "I thought my only connection to her was gone. But when I first saw Robinpaw, she looked exactly like my Charlotte. I knew I had found my kit."

Another ripple of yowls erupted. Robinpaw bit her lip, her true identity revealed. _What am I going to do now? No cat will want me in the clans._

Robinpaw looked at her friends, Icepaw stared back in shock, the same as Fernpaw and Whiskerpaw. Her mentor remained expressionless.

Many of the cats stared back in disgust.

Alto ignored them. "Whatever you have against kittypets, whatever you have against ShadowClan, don't hold against Robinpaw. She is loyal to ThunderClan and ThunderClan only. What I have done has nothing to do with her."

His words pacified some of the cats, but others rolled their eyes indignantly.

Firestar, who had stepped down from Highrock, joined Robinpaw and Alto at the top. He turned to Robinpaw, still speaking loud enough for all to hear. "Robinpaw, this past moon has brought much change for you and this clan. I find it reasonable for you to might want to leave, and start a path apart from ThunderClan. I must ask you, do you wish to stay in ThunderClan, or live elsewhere?"

Robinpaw didn't answer immediately She thought of Whiskerpaw who glared at her with unforgiving eyes. She thought of Alto, who every time she looked at him exhumed the dark memories and secrets she preferred to keep hidden. She thought of Raincloud, who would probably never see her the same way again.

But then Robinpaw thought of Icepaw and Fernpaw, and saw eyes full of compassion and love. She thought of Firestar, remembering his words when they had spoken. She thought of Whitepaw, and realized she could not leave. This was her clan.

"With your permission, Firestar, I would like to stay here. I am only loyal to ThunderClan."

Firestar dipped his head, and touched noses with the apprentice. "I'm glad you have chosen to stay."

Some cats yowled objections, but Robinpaw ignored them. She remembered the leader's words, that cats would try to push her down. _I have to show them I am a true ThunderClan. _

"Excuse me," It was Alto who timidly spoke, "I have one more thing to say. I realize it has been many moons since I have been in ShadowClan, but if ShadowClan is the same from what I remember, then trouble is brewing. Darkfoot had promised to kill Robinpaw. When I was in the nursery with him as a kit, the first thing I learned is that he never breaks promises-"

"What are you saying?" Honeyfrost growled.

Alto gulped, "I'm saying, that ShadowClan, or at least Darkfoot's followers are likely to attack. I'm saying that this clan needs to be prepared for an invasion, or suffer the consequences."

"And why should we believe you?"

"You don't have to believe me, but I know how some of the ShadowClan cats think. They will attack; they won't stop until they get what they want." He did not add what they wanted was Robinpaw's dead body.

Cats supporting Alto mewed agreements, while opposing cats growled arguments.

"Enough!" Firestar yowled. The camp grew still at the leader's command. "I believe this cat speaks truth. However, we cannot be completely sure they will attack. To be on the safe side, we will increase border patrols to one at moonhigh and three during sunrise. Report anything out of place to Brightmoon. No apprentice is to leave the camp without a warrior and no warrior will be allowed to leave without consulting Brightmoon. If there is nothing else to say, then this meeting is dismissed."

Robinpaw bounded off Highrock and skidded towards her friends.

"Icepaw, Fernpaw, Whitepaw, Whiskerpaw, I missed you all." Robinpaw couldn't stop herself before adding Whiskerpaw to the list.

"Hi Robinpaw, We've missed you too." Fernpaw purred before adding, "And it's actually Fernshade now . I'm a warrior. So is Whiskerpaw. He's Whiskerscratch."

"That's wonderful!" Beamed Robinpaw. She tried to hide the anguish she felt that she missed her close friend's naming ceremony.

"I guess I won't see you around as much then," Robinpaw sighed.

"Don't worry, we can still go hunting whenever you want. How about you, Icepaw, Whiskerscratch, and I go hunting tomorrow after sun high? It'll be fun!"

Icepaw nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah but don't try to catch any squirrels, Fernshade!" The three of them, Icepaw, Whiskerscratch, and Fernshade burst into laughter, leaving a very confused Robinpaw.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh," panted Icepaw through her laughter, "Fernshade tried to catch a squirrel and…and…"she stopped mid-sentence in another fit of laughter. "Oh, you had to be there," She mewed.

Robinpaw said nothing, awkwardly waiting for them to finish.

Whiskerscratch and Fernshade walked away, still amused at their inside joke.

Icepaw turned to Robinpaw, "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too," Robinpaw admitted. "Listen I just-"

Icepaw cut her off suddenly focused on something in the distance. "Hold on, there's Patchpelt, I got to talk to him." Distractedly she mumbled a quick goodbye before darting off to talk to her crush. Robinpaw watched her pad up to him with a shy smile on her face, leaving the calico apprentice to wonder what had changed.

****For those of you who are wondering, Fernshade and Whiskerscratch (who are siblings) are several months older to Icepaw and Robinpaw. I mentioned that in one of the earlier chapters but I thought I would reiterate that in case that detail slipped someone's mind.****


	21. Chapter 19

****I'm SUPER excited; I just hit ONE THOUSAND views! Thank you to all of my wonderful viewers and reviewers, from those who have been there from the beginning and all of my new followers, thank you! You have all encouraged me to pursue my interest in writing!****

**Chapter 19**

A cold sweep of wind shook Robinpaw to the core. Her fur stood on ends, despite the cat's efforts to stay warm.

"Brrrr," Robinpaw shivered, shaking her thick fur for the umpteenth time. But she didn't complain. She was too much enjoying the sharp scent of ThunderClan combined with the comfort of the forest. It didn't seem real to her, how amazing the forest really was. To be concealed in the forest's arms, surrounded by the twittering of birds, and the soft scuffling of small animals. It felt like she had been in a dark cave and someone had finally shown her the light.

A few sunrises had passed since Firestar's announcement at Highrock, and the whole clan was on their toes. Firestar kept his word, increasing the amount of patrols to remove any chance of a surprise attack. Almost most every cat that was able was required to take part in a patrol. Robinpaw, Mapledrop, Raincloud, and Alto, all walked along the upper border of ThunderClan. The faint scent of ShadowClan barely drifted off the horizon, and it brought Robinpaw another sense of urgency.

_Would ShadowClan attack?_ Robinpaw didn't like to feel paranoid, but she couldn't help but think that Darkfoot would pursue her relentlessly. _But if he was going to attack, why hadn't he done so already? What could be holding them back? _If they did not attack, it was likely the clan would turn on Alto.

Alto padded beside Robinpaw, silently. The two had hardly spoken since the clan meeting.

_What was there to say? _Robinpaw thought. _He'll only hurt me again. _

_"_Robinpaw, I-" Alto started, but Robinpaw ignored him.

"I don't want to talk about it," She growled through her teeth.

But Alto persisted, "I just wanted to talk to you ab-"

"Just stop, please," Robinpaw's voice cracked slightly. Alto flattened his ears, clearly hurt.

But Robinpaw didn't care. She didn't care about someone who had kept such a secret from her. She didn't care about someone who had looked her in the eyes and lied to her.

She just didn't care.

She sped up, separating herself from her father and padded up next to Mapledrop.

"This patrol's been rather quiet, don't you think?" The sleek warrior commented, noticing Robinpaw's presence.

Robinpaw nodded in agreement, her voice still raw from emotion.

When she had finally composed herself, she managed to ask, "Do you think ShadowClan will attack?"

"I'm not sure, actually." Mapledrop admitted. "I can't imagine Pinestar calling war against ThunderClan. He's always been a sensible cat. Darkfoot, however, I don't know. If he managed to muster up a group of cats willing to attack, and go against ShadowClan, they could attack any day now."

"Why haven't they attacked yet? When I was in ShadowClan, it was clear there was a division in agreements. Many of the cats agreed with him; a lot agreed with Pinestar's orders. Darkfoot shouldn't have that much trouble rallying up a group to attack."

"Perhaps they know we are expecting them. You know ShadowClan-the element of surprise is their best tactic. Darkfoot must be waiting for a time when we least expect them."

These words made sense to Robinpaw, causing her fur to lie flat against her back. _Be on guard, _she told herself.

"Raincloud," Mapledrop called to the patrol leader as they finished checking the last of their ShadowClan border, "Do you think we need to check the WindClan border? We have no reason to suspect a quarrel with them, and Brightmoon said everything seemed to be in order since yesterday."

Raincloud seemed slightly taken aback by her suggestion, "I suppose," the senior warrior mewed, "We can cut through the forest and check on Sunningrocks and onwards."

The young calico apprentice blinked rapidly, "Shouldn't we check the border? Just in case?"

Mapledrop's suggestion reminded her of the possibility of a traitor in ThunderClan and WindClan. She remembered that windy night where she had witnessed to cats from each clan speaking such treasonous words. A slight pang of guilt ran through her:How could she forget something that jeopardized the safety of the clans?

Every single one of the cats noticed the worry in Robinpaw's voice. Mapledrop and Robinpaw locked eyes for a moment, but neither could read each other's expression. Robinpaw looked away.

"I guess she's right," Raincloud slowly spoke. "We shouldn't risk the safety of ThunderClan to save us a few paw steps. Let's go."

Raincloud and Alto ran ahead, and as soon as the two toms were out of earshot, Mapledrop let out an agitated hiss.

Robinpaw jumped back in alarm. "You okay, Mapledrop?" She asked.

"Yes," The young warrior quickly answered. "I just don't see why we need to check the WindClan border."

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Robinpaw softly mewed, though inside she was growing fearful.

_Why was she so keen to not patrol the WindClan border? _Robinpaw thought worriedly.

A nagging feeling seeped through Robinpaw; could Mapledrop be trying to hide something? If she had been speaking to a WindClan cat recently near the border, it was likely her scent was still there, mixed with WindClan. It would make sense that she didn't want us to go there until the scent has been washed or carried away.

Maybe she was just being paranoid again, but Robinpaw couldn't help but think that Mapledrop was more than capable of betraying the clan. Still, she couldn't imagine Mapledrop being so treacherous, so power-thirsty.

As they rounded the boundaries to WindClan, Robinpaw was on full alert. No foreign scent passed her fields yet, but she didn't let her fur lie flat.

Ahead of the two she-cats, Raincloud and Alto stood, waiting for the two she-cats to catch up. They were talking casually, laughing at something Alto had mewed.

Alarm pulsed through Robinpaw. _What were they talking about?_

"You all ready?" Raincloud asked. He didn't look at Robinpaw at all.

"Yes," Honeyfrost answered finally. The patrol moved onwards, skirting the stream that divided WindClan and ThunderClan. The stream gurgled loudly with life. A silver-scaled fish leaped out of the water a few times, and Robinpaw couldn't help but watch it with amusement, trying to guess when it would appear again.

"RiverClan must be really nimble to catch something as slippery as a fish." Alto commented.

"Maybe, but I couldn't imagine eating salty, slippery fish all day, and getting my paws wet for my meals." Raincloud shuddered.

Mapledrop mewed in agreement. Robinpaw was about to speak when Raincloud stopped walking. His tail shot up, erect.

"Shhhh," He hissed. He tasted the air, and the ground.

"Do you all smell that?" He asked. They all nodded, even Alto.

"WindClan." Robinpaw whispered. Her heart thudded violently, realizing this discovery would tighten security in the WindClan border, thus making it harder for the traitor to plan any schemes.

"I only smell one cat," Alto sniffed the air again to make sure. Raincloud nodded in agreement. "One cat is still enough to cause worry. Search the area for any other scents or if they left traces of stolen prey." When they regrouped after searching, they all came up empty pawed.

"It is possible the wind carried the scent from WindClan. After all they are only across this thin stream." Mapledrop suggested.

Robinpaw interjected, "But it's too strong to just be the wind. They _were_ here; they were trespassing on our territory."

Mapledrop flashed the apprentice a livid look, and instantly Robinpaw uncovered a new side of the usually 'sweet' warrior. Immediately she was able to see this cat planning an uprising to overthrow Firestar. She could see her with an icy stare, waiting, like a snake, for the right time to strike.

****Just a quick note, Mapledrop and Honeyfrost are sisters. This will actually be important information in the future, so just keep that in mind.****


	22. Chapter 20

****In celebration of reaching chapter twenty and getting 1000 views, I created a picture of Robinpaw using a Create-A-Warrior Website and I wanted to show you what she looks like. I will be putting it as my profile picture shortly so you can all see.****

**Chapter 20**

The return to camp was brisk and silent. No words were exchanged, but everyone knew what was on each other's tongues. A thin layer of silver frost settled on the chilled grass over the night, and although Robinpaw had taken great caution to avoid stepping in the ice earlier, now she paid no attention. The cold seeped up her dry paws, and sent uncontrollable shivers through her pelt. Even her thick fluffy tail quaked with cold.

Alto and Raincloud took the lead, while Robinpaw struggled to stay closely behind. Her lithe body lacked the long legs needed to run fast. Mapledrop trailed behind, running, but lacking the sense of urgency that clung to everyone else. At last, they reached the familiar gorse tunnel that opened up to camp.

Several cats were in the clearing, including Firestar and Gingerpelt, who were watching her kits play outside the nursery.

"I get to be Firestar!" Piped Dawnkit, who scrambled on top of her brothers, Brightkit and Redkit. Redkit pushed her off, "Nu-uh, you're a she-cat. I get to be Firestar."

"I can be Firestar if I want," Dawnkit argued, successfully pinning Brightkit down and barreling towards Redkit. She leaped on top of him, until their dark orange coats blended in a heap of fur.

"Ummph, grrroff!" Redkit tried to squeak with a mouthful of fur. Okay, Okay, you can be Firestar. We'll be scary rogues trying to attack the camp."

"Grrrrrrr!" Brightkit and Redkit growled, with their haunches raised. Dawnkit copied them, with a confident grin on her face.

"One, two…" All three kits were ready for 'battle'.

"Three!" Brightkit and Redkit sprang at their sister. They tumbled playfully for a bit, until both of the 'rogues' grudgingly signaled surrender.

"ThunderClan wins!" Dawnkit mewed happily, before racing after her siblings to the nursery.

Firestar purred in amusement. "They're just about six moons," He mewed to Gingerpelt, "I'll be thinking about possible mentors for each of them." Gingerpelt blinked gratefully.

The fire-pelted leader added, "They'll make fine warriors someday, I can tell."

Firestar noticed the returning patrol and padded towards them.

"Firestar," Raincloud addressed the leader, "We were near the WindClan border-by the stream- and we have reason to suspect they were in our territory sometime in the night. We only found the scent of one cat, and we didn't find traces of stolen prey."

The amusement of the kits melted away from his face, replaced by a stony seriousness. "Would you call all the senior warriors to my den, Raincloud? If think we should discuss a course of action privately."

The senior warrior nodded and blinked goodbye to the rest of the patrol before disappearing into the warrior's den, signaling for the rest of the patrol to disperse. Alto wandered to the elder's den, where lately he had been staying.

Mapledrop dashed away to the warrior's den and Robinpaw watched her carefully for any sign of panic. If she really were sneaking out to plot against ThunderClan with WindClan, surely she would be frenzied. Honeyfrost, Mapledrop's sister came out of the warrior's den. She nuzzled her sister affectionately and the two began to share tongues.

_Poor Honeyfrost, oblivious to the evil that really consumed her sister_, Robinpaw thought. _Should I tell her the truth about Mapledrop? _She remembered how kind Honeyfrost had been to her. Once, Honeyfrost had offered to take her out hunting when Raincloud was accompanying Firestar to the Moonstone. The two had grown rather close, and Robinpaw knew telling the kind-hearted warrior the news would crush her. She doubted Honeyfrost would even believe her, and likely, their friendship would be destroyed.

She decided not to tell Honeyfrost.

But Robinpaw knew this secret was too big of a burden for only her. She had to tell somebody, somebody that would believe her and do something about it.

But who? She _couldn't_-no more like she _wouldn't_ tell Alto. Firestar or any of the warriors wouldn't take her seriously. Except…perhaps Raincloud? She pondered the idea for a bit. Lately the two had hardly spoken, but Robinpaw still felt like she could confide her suspicions in him.

At least she hoped. Still, she made up her mind to speak to him after the senior warrior's meeting.

She padded to the apprentice's den. The den was empty. She realized it would be like this for a while, seeing that Fernshade, and Whiskerscratch were no longer apprentices. Apprentice duties had doubled on Icepaw and Robinpaw.

Icepaw.

The mention of her name reminded her of how much she had missed her the past month. Deciding to find her old friend, Robinpaw slipped out of the lonesome den, and was relieved to see Icepaw enter through the gorse tunnel with a bundle of fresh prey.

"Icepaw," Robinpaw called to her friend.

"Hey Robinpaw," Icepaw dropped her catch in the fresh-kill pile. She selected a decently sized magpie to eat. "You hungry? Oakleaf, Ashclaw, and I just went hunting and brought back a lot of prey- pretty well for so close to leaf-bare."

The calico apprentice shook her head, "No thanks, I haven't hunted for the clan yet," She didn't mention that lately she had lost her sense of appetite. "But we can still talk while you eat. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Icepaw dragged her meal to the apprentices stump, and begin to devour the delicious magpie. "Mmmm," she purred, "It's still warm."

A moment of silence passed, and Robinpaw was frantically looking for something to say. But what?

"So," Robinpaw struggled to make conversation, "I heard Firestar's going to apprentice Gingerpelt's kits. They're six moons now."

"Good. It's about time! After Fernshade and Whiskerscratch became warriors, and you were gone, I was the only apprentice. Luckily Firestar asked them and Patchpelt to help out with apprentice duties so I wasn't too occupied with all of that work."

"So is that how you got to know Patchpelt?"

Icepaw blushed a bit at the mention of her crush. She crunched the last bit of bone thoughtfully before answering. "Yes. I don't know…I just like being around him, he's real funny and kind." Her eyes fluttered up, as if she had said something wrong. "Is that weird? I feel weird, liking a warrior. But at the same time, it doesn't feel weird. Does that make sense?"

Robinpaw thought about how she felt with Whitepaw. She thought about the unforgettable warmth that saturated her body, like sun warmed honey slipping down her throat, along with the ache that reminded her they could never be.

"Y-yes." She finally mewed. "It does. But don't tell him how you feel yet, unless you know for certain he feels the same about you. Or at least wait until you are made a warrior, so it won't seem as weird for him."

Icepaw thanked Robinpaw for the advice gratefully, and the two continued talking for a bit. Most of what they talked about was of little importance, but it did make the lost apprentice feel better. For once, to Robinpaw, life seemed to have finally returned to normal.

****In most cases, such 'normality' does not last long. It won't last long. I can tell you that much. =)****


	23. Chapter 21

****Thanks to seastorm101 for your reviews! I love ya for that! So here's the next chapter! And keep reviewing plz!****

**Chapter 21**

The night brought a flurry of snow that blanketed the ground like soft sugar. It crunched under Robinpaw's feet, and she was suddenly grateful for her thick coat that sheltered her from the frosty bite of the cold. She shook off the snow that had collected from her pelt, and started to clean herself off.

Icepaw woke up too, and shook her pelt clean as well.

"Watch it!" exclaimed Robinpaw when Icepaw shook snow on her. She shook her pelt dry again.

"Sorry," mumbled Icepaw in between licking her paws. Robinpaw noticed her excessive licking and asked, "Are your paws okay?"

The silver apprentice's head jerked up. "Yeah I'm fine. My paws are just cold, that's all." Changing the subject, Icepaw added, "Do you want to go hunting sometime today? We can ask Fernshade to come with us. We can go after Moonhigh, since Oakleaf and I will be in the woods until then. I'm having my first assessment."

Robinpaw curled her tail in delight. "Sounds fun! And good luck with your assessment; I know you'll do great. _I_ better find Raindrop and see if we'll be training today. It's been a long time since I've been in the sandy hollow." She sighed wistfully.

Her friend agreed. "Well after all that commotion, and how busy the clan has been, I think he was trying to give you a break."

Robinpaw nodded, and said goodbye to her friend. She stepped out into the clearing, waited for her eyes to adjust to the intense light, and looked for her mentor. The clearing was empty so early morning, except for a few warriors chatting by the fresh-kill pile, and the queens who were getting a fresh breath of air.

"Hello, Whiskerscratch," She curtly greeted the grey tom as she walked passed him. She couldn't help but add a sarcastic grin, just to spite him.

"That's odd, I don't remember kittypets being allowed in the clans." He retorted sharply. Robinpaw ignored him, intent on finding Raindrop. She poked her head in the warriors den, but he wasn't in there. Brightmoon, the deputy, was there, silently grooming herself for the day.

"Brightmoon," Robinpaw purred respectively. Brightmoon looked up, and smiled kindly at the young apprentice. "What brings you here?"

"I was looking for Raindrop, my mentor, to ask him if we were going to start training again today."

Brightmoon's face dropped. "He volunteered to lead the first Dawn Patrol. Perhaps you can ask him upon his return. They should be back near Moonhigh."

The young apprentice nodded sadly, swallowing back the anger she felt. "Thanks, Brightmoon, I'll do that. "

She was just about to leave the den when Brightmoon's soft voice spoke again. The kind-hearted deputy seemed to notice the anguish in her voice, and offered, "A to-be warrior shouldn't be delayed in her training. I have some time, before I'm going hunting with Honeyfrost and Pebbletoe so if you'd like, I can take you to the sandy hollow for a bit."

Robinpaw's eyes brightened at the offer. "That would be great!" She beamed.

Without the protection of trees, the hollow was completely under the sun's rays. It warmed the chilled earth, creating a soothing sensation that rushed through her fur. _How long had it been_, she wondered, _since she had squeezed the rough sand in her paws? _

"Now imagine you are in a battle," Brightmoon mewed, while stretching her finely chiseled muscles. "Imagine you are attacked by a cat, much bigger than you. You can't attack from behind, as he is in front of you, and he is too experienced to fall for that playing dead bit. What's the best way to attack?"

She didn't answer for a while, mentally calculating the best approach. "Hmm, maybe if you aimed for his paws, such an uncommon and unrecorded tactic would catch him off guard, giving you a chance to rake your claws down his paws. It could turn you from a defensive to attacking position in a single move. By reflex, he'll spring back, and even if slightly, it will drag your claws farther in. Unsheathe your claws, and use that stun time to attack again, sinking your teeth in his leg until he gives out."

She thought for a moment about what she just said, and finally looked at Brightmoon. She tucked her tail under her.

Brightmoon eyed the apprentice inquisitively. "Interesting approach ,young one. I've never heard of a response like that one. You think like your enemy- that's a rare quality in a warrior. To think like your enemy gives you a sure-fire plan. A sure-fire plan most always means victory."

Robinpaw glowed at the compliment, and, at Brightmoon's request, demonstrated the tactic. They perfected the tactic for the rest of the day, until both of the small-bodied cats discovered a way to attack larger opponents.

"Good work today, Robinpaw," Brightmoon concluded the training session. "I'll report to Raincloud on your excellent training." Robinpaw nodded in relief, too exhausted to speak. She realized how long it had been since she had last had an intense training session. If she wanted to become a warrior on time with Icepaw, she would need to work twice as hard.

As the deputy turned around, Robinpaw found herself wanting to tell her about the possible traitor in the clan. She knew Brightmoon would be open to her concerns, unlike many of the senior warriors. Yet somehow, she bit her tongue down. She could not bring herself to say it.

And she hated herself for it.

…

"And finally, Dawnkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Dawnpaw. Your mentor will be Pebbletoe. I hope Pebbletoe will pass down all he knows on to you."

Firestar turned his attention to the chosen mentor. "Pebbletoe**, **you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Larkwing, and you have shown yourself to be caring and diligent. You will be the mentor of Dawnpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Dawnpaw."

Pebbletoe and Dawnpaw respectfully touched noses, though it was easy to see the excitement in the new apprentice's eyes.

_Dawnpaw! Brightpaw! Redpaw!_

The chant rose through the clan, always joyful at the welcoming of new apprentices. The three new apprentices radiated in joy, and they each joined up with their mentors.

Watching the three new apprentices, Robinpaw recalled her own apprentice ceremony and the joy that flooded her since she could finally serve her clan. She remembered the sudden sense that she belonged there, and the clan gave her something to work towards. She liked that feeling.

Icepaw, who sat next to her during the ceremony, remarked, "I'm just glad we have some extra paws to help with apprentice duties."

"Me too," Robinpaw admitted. Sharing apprentice duties between two cats was hard work, even if Fernshade and Whiskerscratch helped out occasionally. She felt a twinge of guilt for when she left Icepaw for a whole moon to carry out apprentice duties.

Just as the crowd of cats dispersed, the sound of frantic paw steps coming from the gorse tunnel caught her attention.

Lighteyes ran through, followed by Raincloud and Leapfoot. Their eyes were wide with worry. From what Brightmoon had told her, she realized this had been the dawn patrol. The fright in their eyes made a pit in her stomach. In between gasps of air, Leapfoot managed to yowl, "A band of ShadowClan cats are headed this way, and they mean war!"

****In case anyone is wondering, Larkwing (mentioned as Pebbletoe's mentor) is not listed in the Allegiances, indicating his deceased status. I didn't do all of the new apprentices ceremonies because that would take WAY TOO LONG and I didn't want to bore you. So for your reference, ****Brightpaw's mentor is Stripedfur; ****Redpaw's mentor is Honeyfrost; ****Dawnpaw's mentor is Pebbletoe.********


	24. Chapter 22

****Hey yall I'm really excited about this chapter, though I have no idea AT ALL how this one is going to turn out…ehh I'll wing it again. I wanted to also thank CandyBunnies for the honor of being featured in her Community! I really appreciate the recognition and wanted to give her a shout out. Also thanks to WildCroconaw, who featured me in his Community a while ago and I didn't think of recognizing it here. Thank you!****

**Chapter 22**

Yowls of shock burst through the clan. Firestar, who was still standing on Highrock from the apprentice ceremony, leaped down and padded towards the returning patrol.

Leapfoot curled his tail, still exhausted from their hurry. "W-we were on our way back, just a few tree lengths from the ShadowClan border. W-we saw a group of cats, maybe half of ShadowClan being led by Darkfoot." He paused, in a violent fit of coughs before continuing. "We need to prepare ourselves for attack-there isn't much time."

Murmurs broke loose through the clan. Brightmoon snaked her way to the front where the patrol was still standing. With a clear yowl, she got everyone's attention. "Warriors, stand guard of the camp, and challenge all invaders. Elders, take shelter in the nursery with the queens, unless you are able to fight. Our new apprentices, because you haven't any battle training, take shelter in the nursery."

"What?" Redpaw squeaked. He arched his back, "I can protect the clan!" Gingerpelt wrapped her fluffy tail around his mouth, and whispered something in his ear. Once Brightmoon finished giving out general orders, The crowd dispersed, and everyone prepared themselves for the invasion.

To her own surprise, Robinpaw's mind turned to Alto. Despite her anger towards him, she couldn't help but worry about him. It was more than likely Darkfoot would be looking for his dead body too. Cats scurried in and out from every direction, so locating Alto through the chaos was a challenge. She finally found him discussing something with Smallear, a fellow elder.

"Robinpaw!" He greeted her when he realized she was watching them.

"You should go back."

Alto's eyebrows rose. "To where?"

"Back home, it's not safe here for you." Robinpaw hissed impatiently.

"I can't leave you here alone. I want to protect the clan. I'm able to fight."

"These cats are dangerous, Alto. You don't know what you're up against."

Alto wrapped his tail around Robinpaw. Robinpaw shoved it off. He mewed in a low voice, "I'm not going back. Not yet. Not unless I know you are safe. Darkfoot won't lay a paw on you before going through me first, understand? I-I love you Robinpaw, and I want to do everything I can to protect you and the clan you love."

Robinpaw didn't say anything. She didn't even resist when Alto gently laid his tail around her shoulders again. "I just want the best for you, Robinpaw." He whispered.

Finally Robinpaw answered. "Fine," she mewed through gritted teeth. "You can stay. But as soon as ThunderClan is safe, I never want to see you again." She pelted away, choking back a wave of tears. Icepaw padded up to her, and nuzzled her best friend.

"You okay?" Icepaw asked softly. Robinpaw brushed it off. "I'm fine."

Just then, Brightmoon padded up to Robinpaw and Icepaw. "Icepaw," Brightmoon mewed, "Could you guard the nursery with Smallear and Ashclaw? We need to keep the kits safe."

Icepaw nodded, with a serious tone. "Yes, Brightmoon," She bounded away to take her assigned position.

"And Robinpaw," The grey and white deputy turned to Robinpaw. She spoke in a soft voice, to prevent anyone else from hearing, "Darkfoot is coming. He's after you, that's why he's attacking in the first place…"

Robinpaw knew what was coming. "I'm not hiding in the nursery, Brightmoon. I'm not going to hide like a scared kit. I'm sick of hiding from my problems. I can't do that anymore."

Brightmoon sighed. "I admire your courage, young one, but if you go out there, Darkfoot will keep fighting until you are dead."

"I can't hide, Brightmoon. Not anymore."

Brightmoon nodded slightly, her eyes shining with something Robinpaw couldn't identify. The deputy briskly padded away towards Firestar.

Robinpaw padded up towards Honeyfrost and Mapledrop, who were waiting by the gorse tunnel with several other warriors.

"When do you think they'll be here?" Mapledrop asked impatiently.

"Soon," Robinpaw answered. Mapledrop flashed her an annoyed look. Honeyfrost didn't notice. Just then , Foxfur joined them. They exchanged worried glances before settling down to wait.

It was all they could do.

"Shhhh," Honeyfrost whispered. "I hear something."

Honeyfrost was right. Robinpaw faintly heard the ruffling of leaves and grass, and the unmistakable crunching of snow under numerous paws. The gorse tunnel shook, and suddenly ShadowClan cats emerged from the single entrance. A long furred black tom came first, followed by several others. Robinpaw couldn't figure out how many there were, and she was about to launch herself into battle when Foxfur's steady paws stopped. He gave her a warning glance to wait, and see if they were willing to talk.

A large dark tom slipped through the tunnel, and locked eyes on Robinpaw. Robinpaw stared back too, with large, hostile eyes, although on the inside, she felt like running back into the nursery.

Firestar, who was also at the front of the battle line, meowed in an all too blasé voice, "What brings ShadowClan here?"

Darkfoot growled, "You know why I'm here, Firestar. We've come to take back what's ours-a black and white kittypet, and a half ShadowClan mutt. I believe her name is to be Robinpaw. If you don't give us what we want peacefully, we'll take it by force. We'll win either way, so think wisely on how important those half-breeds are to you, if it means you lose some warriors to keep them."

Robinpaw flinched at the words, and was almost about to give herself up. But Firestar spoke, "As long as I'm here you won't lay a paw on her or Alto."

A moment of silence passed, and Robinpaw wondered if Darkfoot was actually considering the threat. _Would he back down? Would this dark warrior realize that ThunderClan wasn't going to be easy pickings? _She sure hoped he would.

Finally Darkfoot growled something through a curled grin, his lean muscles suddenly tightened. "That can be arranged."


End file.
